Tuesday, May 05, 2009

What Studying Arabic is Good For..

..making coffee!!

As the job market in the Kingdom becomes ever more competitive and the requirements of employers increasingly demanding, many Saudis are taking to work which not so long ago would have been unthinkable for them.

Abdullah Bin Mahfodh, an Arabic Language university graduate, serves coffee in a well-known Jeddah cafĂ© after failing to find work more suited to his qualifications. “After graduating I applied for work at the Ministry of Civil Service, but their requirements were impossible to meet,” Abdullah said. “Everywhere I applied, they said they needed someone who spoke English and who had previous experience.” (send them to us, we will teach them)

Abdullah took a degree in Arabic after being advised that it would help him find employment (DUH? Like how many BAs in English Lang. get jobs in Australia??), but over two dozen schools and companies were unable to offer him employment and so he took to serving beverages instead. “It’s not everything I dreamed of, but I have to work here to make ends meet,” Abdullah said, as the aroma of freshly ground coffee wafted around him.

He should learn Amharic, by the way. Will help in understanding how to make really good coffee!

1 comment:

Dan said...

A bachelor's in anything should at least be proof that the graduate has the ability to do research in any field, evaluate evidence and arguments and how to express him or herself clearly and persuasively in writing. Therefore, the real losers are those businesses who are unable to see the true value of a degree.

Alas, a BA graduate will not necessarily make a great barista if he cannot follow the instructions on how to use the machine correctly so that the emerging brew is drinkable. My tastebuds still shrivel up in retreat every time I think of drinking coffee served outside our own kitchen. A few word s of advice to all aspiring baristas: keep an eye on the temperature guage: too hot = too bitter.