Being a soda jerk was something many people aspired to for their first job
Nowadays, when teens look for their first job, they will send an application to work at their favorite fast-food chains, or they might even look for remote side jobs on the Internet. However, in the mid-20th century, many young adults aspired to work as a soda jerk at the local diner.
Being a soda jerk was not an easy job. This position mainly included maintaining the soda fountains as well as serving soda in glasses from the spigots behind the counter, and ice cream when people ordered them at the bar area. As seen here in this picture, they wore white shirts and bow-ties.