Ranking Places I’ve Worked At

Kaylie Viloria

It is common for OCSA students to be unemployed. If they have a job, it usually falls into the summer job category or conservatory-related work, but it is usually not the typical high school job. I have been in a relentless pursuit of “the bag,” working a wide variety of jobs. Nevertheless, here are my comprehensive rankings of most of the jobs I have worked. Hopefully it will give you some guidance when searching for your next job. 

5. Brandy Melville: At the ripe age of 15, I was hired as a store associate at Brandy Melville. Although not an awful first “real” job, balancing schoolwork and three 8-hour shifts across Friday, Saturday and Sunday was not for the faint of heart. Only to be paid less than a McDonald’s worker, I endured a loop of the same playlist, the smell of dust, the messy piles of clothes reaching heights greater than me, my managers crying and a rude, theft-ridden customer base. 

4. Aerial Arts Coach: Starting the summer after Eighth grade, I’ve been a coach at my aerial arts studio. Teaching young children a skill that I was passionate about was rewarding, both mentally and physically. Due to labor laws (and likely the fact that I was 13), I was just given a small stipend. Despite doing this almost every summer, this has not fit my bag-chaser mentality as much as my other jobs. 

3. Hostess at La Casita Olvera: This job was the most fun job I have had. My coworkers were an interesting mix: half-Asian guys my age (we were often mistaken for siblings), an Eighth-grade girl and a Spanish-speaking kitchen staff. Memorable moments include: babysitting my boss’s kid, offroading with coworkers and running the restaurant’s 20k-followers-strong social media page. The downsides: the pay was only slightly above minimum wage, and my hours were inconsistent, with my schedule often being texted to me the morning of my shift.

2. Stilt Walker: Being paid around $100 an hour is quite a desirable salary, especially for a job that consists of walking around, taking photos, and going to exclusive events, but as all gig work is, job opportunities are often seasonal and are not very consistent.

1. In and Out Burger: Maybe it's the hours that perfectly align with my availability, the 22 dollars per hour offered, or the fact that I haven't even started training, but as my current and newest job, my number one ranking goes to In and Out.