It’s difficult to articulate the tedium and monotony of a Starbucks gig. There’s so little intellectual stimulation available in that setting. If you managed to learn more from your fast food than your humanities degree, then I think that’s on you for not paying attention at college (perhaps because you were exhausted from your job?).

> If you managed to learn more from your fast food than your humanities degree...

It's not about learning "more". It's that earning a degree is an academic undertaking whereas working at a coffee shop is "real life".

There is no need to treat one as more or less valuable/useful than the other. They're just different kinds of human experiences. Learning is possible from both.