I started working at BobaPop in January, motivated by nothing but pure curiosity and my love for milk teas — specifically brown sugar lattes. I thought: Hey, I like drinking boba, so why not try making it? How hard could it be to make drinks and take orders? Turns out, pretty hard.
Training was a tornado. I was overwhelmed by two days of fast-paced, non-stop learning. One moment I was learning how to brew tea without burning myself (spoiler alert: I did, countless times), and the next I was memorizing an extensive drink menu from top to bottom and the intricate steps to prepare each drink. There was no room for hesitation. I quickly found that customer service and sales were drastically different from research and tutoring — the kind of work I was used to.
Mistakes came often and sometimes hilariously. I spilled drinks more times than I care to admit, splashed teas and milk powder all over the countertops, added too much ice which led to mini tea explosions and occasionally forgot steps, forcing me to start over with a line of customers waiting. And two months in? I still mess up. But I’ve learned to laugh at myself and keep moving. The hustle doesn’t stop just because you added pudding to the wrong drink.
Despite the calm chaos, I found myself genuinely enjoying the rhythm of the job. There’s something strangely satisfying about the hustle and multi-tasking: taking an order while steaming tea, rinsing tea-ware and preparing puddings for the next day simultaneously. It’s a kind of balance I have never experienced before and propelled me to take on immediate tasks while thinking ahead. I learned how to act quickly and anticipate needs rather than just react.
On slower days, I’d prepare extra puddings and foams, knowing how much I appreciated it when previous shifts did the same for me. I learned to observe customers better, remembering our regulars’ preferences and orders like “the usual 50% sugar, 50% ice mango green tea with lychee jellies” or that couple who always gets “brown sugar black milk tea with 2x black pearls.” Those small details made my job feel more personal, and most importantly, they made me focus on quality over speed. No one would want a messily assembled drink that they don’t like!
What surprised me the most was how much the owners started to trust me. Slowly, I was given more responsibilities: handling rush-hour customers alone and closing the shop by myself. That level of responsibility pushed me to become more independent. I began making decisions more quickly, asking for help right away if I needed anything and proactively prepping materials so the next day would have an easy start.
It’s funny how a job I took out of curiosity has become such a significant part of my growth. Coming to college, I was easily caught up in academics, extracurriculars and the pressure to figure out the “right” path. But sometimes, the best lessons come from unexpected places. Working at BobaPop reminded me that trying new things outside of my comfort zone — and that I actually enjoy — is how I grow. There’s something about burning your fingers or mopping up spilled brown sugar syrup that makes getting points off on an assignment feel less catastrophic. It’s completely normal and part of the process. I realized that being a young adult isn’t about having everything figured out, but about being willing to make mistakes and keep growing.
And of course, the free milk tea after shifts isn’t too bad either!
Linda Huang is a freshman from Rockville, Md. majoring in Biomedical Engineering. Her column celebrates growth and emotions that define young adulthood, inviting readers to live authentically.
