Here at Jackson-Reed, students have an abundance of choices on how to spend their free time. Many students have decided to undergo the difficult yet rewarding task of balancing both their tedious school schedules and having a job.
Junior Tom Mager has chosen a popular route for his career: being a host and table busser at Clyde’s of Chevy Chase. Having worked there for three months, Mager got the job by simply walking in, and asking for a job. “I get a 25% discount and a free meal at the end of my shifts,” Mager says, recounting the benefits. He also earns more than DC’s minimum wage, making $17.50 an hour.
Sophomore Makala McCauley works a very different job as receptionist at the Barry Farm Recreation Center in Southeast. The center has many indoor and outdoor facilities, with pools, fields, lounges, and a multi purpose room. “[The center] is just a place where kids can go, kind of like a daycare but for all kids,” McCauley says. McCauley got this job through the School Year Internship Program, created by DC mayor Marion Barry, who served in office 1979-1991 and 1995-1999. “[Mayor Barry created this program] because he didn’t want kids to get into drugs and stuff, so he made this so that children [ages] 14-21 can have jobs during the summer and in the winter.” McCauley works Monday to Thursday, virtually on Wednesdays, making $10 an hour.
Like McCauley, Junior Nolan Quinn sees many children at his job, working at Janney Elementary School Aftercare. Quinn has a quick turnaround from school, arriving at his job at 3:40. “I assist with whoever is leading a class or activity, and I help the dismissal with checking kids out and making sure people find their parents and such,” Quinn describes. Describing the job is “interesting” and “easy”, Quinn makes $17 an hour, minimum wage.
Senior Wesley Hoy works a job just as chaotic as Quinn’s as a soccer referee, working games in the DMV. “I started by doing soccer for the rec league DC soccer club, but now I do games for league[s] like EDP, VPSL, ECNL, so pretty high level youth leagues,” Hoy remarks. Able to ref up to ten games total per weekend, Hoy makes anywhere from $15 to $180 per game, depending on the competitiveness of the league. Hoy recommends this job for those who love soccer and feel that they have a good understanding of the rules. However, he mentions that one has to be tough for the role, as games can get toxic. “People definitely hate on refs a lot and are really disrespectful. There’s definitely a line that you can cross,” Hoy says. Clearly, however, the pros outweigh the cons in Hoy’s case, as he has now been working this job since the age of thirteen.
While Hoy gets attacked by parents and kids on the soccer field, junior Makenzie Battle works safely behind the register as a cashier at Potomac Pizza in Chevy Chase. Her tasks include ringing people up, taking DoorDash orders, answering the phone, and sometimes waiting tables. Battle makes $14 an hour due to a different minimum wage in Maryland, however she also earns tips. There are many benefits that come with Battle’s job, including an exchange of meals with neighboring restaurant Clyde’s, where Mager works as a host. Battle enjoys the environment at Potomac Pizza, working with other teens and sharing unexpected similarities with many of her managers. “A lot of the managers that work there went to Jackson-Reed. So [we] always talk about how Jackson-Reed was when they went here and how it is now. We’re always trading stories,” Battle shares.
For a story of entrepreneurship, senior Jake Hamilton has put his unique and profitable skill set to use. “I own my own business that specializes in repairing electric bikes, but I’ll [also] work on electric scooters or electric motorcycles,” Hamilton divulges. Having already built multiple electrical motorcycles, Hamilton decided to create his own repair business, being only one of three professional mechanics in the city working in this field of mechanical repairs. Initially getting the word out about his business through posting on Reddit, he now has a website, as well as business cards which he places on E-bikes that he sees around the city. This job not only fulfills Hamilon’s passion for engineering, but it also more than fulfills the reason for why most have jobs: the money. Hamilton can charge up to $80 an hour for his repairs.
From bussing tables to building E-bikes, from refereeing to being a receptionist, from waitressing to teachers’ helping, there are plenty of job opportunities around the city. Of course, many students work for the sole purpose of making money, many are also able to pursue their passions through their careers.
