For many of us, our career paths don’t follow a straight line – and that’s okay! Working at Starbucks can take you in unexpected directions and we celebrate those who take the scenic route. Whether that’s going from a barista to a solicitor like our apprentice Ally Amaro or earning a degree in cybersecurity while learning on the job like Harry Keating – our partners prove there’s more than one way to build your dream career at Starbucks.  

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2025, we sat down with Harry and Ally – two of our apprentices who have followed their own path to find their passion and achieve their career goals. 

Ally Amaro – making the leap from barista to solicitor

Meet Ally, a Paralegal at Starbucks UK. She first joined us as a barista back in 2022 while studying law at the University of York. However, illness in her family meant she had to rethink her career path after graduating. Rather than joining a vacation scheme at a traditional law firm, she chose to focus on her role at Starbucks. Little did she know she’d soon go from pouring coffees to poring over legal documents once again. 

“As recognition for the work I was doing, I was presented with the opportunity to visit Starbucks farmer support centre in Costa Rica as part of the annual Starbucks Origin Experience,” Ally explains, “the trip further opened my eyes to the world of coffee and Starbucks as an organisation. I felt very inspired, and it fuelled my love for coffee.”  

While in Costa Rica, she had a fortuitous encounter with the Starbucks UK legal director and had the chance to quiz her about work experience. Two weeks later, she was offered a work experience placement in Starbucks Support Centre in London. “I absolutely loved it and got the opportunity to work across an amazing blend of legal areas I never thought I’d be exposed to so early in my career.” 

Now, Ally is completing an on-the-job Level 7 SQE apprenticeship at Starbucks that will allow her to gain her solicitor qualification – “now, I’m doing exactly what I’d always hoped,” she says.  

“I used to believe there was a specific path I needed to follow if I wanted to go into law – university, then a training contract, and I’d work my way up there. I never thought there were other options out there for me. There’s sometimes this stigma around apprenticeships being a ‘second option’ or a ‘fallback’, but it’s completely untrue and it’s something I’ve realised very quickly. So, my advice would be, just give it a go, there are so many routes to getting where you want to be beyond the traditional route that’s been paved.”  

Harry Keating – career hacks from a cybersecurity expert

Just like coffee, a career at Starbucks comes in many different shapes and sizes. Harry is a Cybersecurity Analyst for Starbucks, working across Europe and the Middle East to secure and defend the business from all sorts of technical threats. It’s a hefty responsibility. “You’d be surprised at the amount of tech that goes into a store,” he explains, “and of course all of that needs to be protected. So that’s where we come in.” And it’s not just tech inside the store that Harry is responsible for – it’s also 185 Starbucks websites and 20 mobile apps across EMEA.  

Harry started out as an apprentice at Starbucks in 2021 and spent the next three years working towards a Level 6 apprenticeship in cybersecurity – the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree. Financially-savvy Harry had been earning money alongside his sixth form studies through various side hustles. The prospect of gaining a qualification while continuing to earn a living at the same time seemed more appealing than going to university. By taking the apprenticeship at Starbucks, he’d be able to get hands-on experience while also graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Digital Technology.  

Harry divided his week between studying at BPP University and the Starbucks Support Centre, a balance he found challenging but rewarding. “I really enjoyed all the learning the goes into it,” he says, “you think you know everything but then you realise you don’t, so the learning is constant. My team members really took me under their wing, so I had the opportunity to learn from them.”  

Since graduating in June, Harry is now a full-time member of the Starbucks Cybersecurity team and he’s already set his eyes on the future, with ambitions of building a career here. “My line manager and I have created a plan for the next steps in my career. Starbucks is a really good place to grow – the future looks good!”  

For other young people currently unsure what the future might hold for them, Harry says to consider all your options. “Understand what’s right for you and see what else is out there,” he says, “just going down the university route isn’t the only option anymore.”  

Interested in becoming an apprentice at Starbucks?  

…we’d love to hear from you! Our apprenticeship schemes are open to anyone aged 16+ and can last anywhere between 12-36 months. Check out our career website for all the latest information and to learn more: https://www.starbucksemeacareers.com/en/Apprenticeships