Nash Johnson wasn’t going to let anything stand between him and an Xbox.

Ask any kid what their favorite pastime is and, nine times out of ten, the answer will be playing video games.

Nash Johnson is no exception. There was only one thing standing in his way; in order to play video games he needed an Xbox.

The Lengths an 8-Year-Old Was Willing to Go to Get an Xbox

person holding an gaming console
Photo by Anton Porsche

All Nash wanted to do was play online with his friends. He had been saving up for a while but at his current allowance rate of $5 a week, it was going to take him over a year to get one. Not wanting to wait that long, he decided the obvious answer was to get a job.

So he did what any other go-getter would do; unbeknownst to his mom, he hopped online and applied for one: a dishwasher position at a nearby restaurant called Drake’s.

“That had to be the easiest job I knew. Also, I’m very good at washing the dishes,” Nash told NBC affiliate WCNC.

Sure, he had no prior work experience. But he wasn’t about to let that deter him: “This will be my first job ever!” he wrote on the application.

And then there was the tricky bit about needing to be 16 years old to work there, which, clearly Nash was not.

But the determined elementary school student wasn’t about to let something as trivial as age hold him back. After all, age is JUST a number. So, he found a creative workaround.

How a Determined 8-Year-Old Found a Loop Hole

When he got to the part on the application asking about his age, he didn’t lie. He just chose not to go into too much detail. “It didn’t ask for my actual age and it didn’t ask me when I was born, so I put I was under 18,” Nash said. Smart move, kid.

But alas, it didn’t pan out the way Nash hoped. Because in the case of working for Drake’s, age is, apparently, more than just a number. It’s a hard and fast requirement.

When his mother, Belinda Johnson, found out that her son had applied for the job, she wasn’t in the least bit surprised: “That kid is not afraid to fail. He’s a go-getter,” she said.

It’s not all Nash though. Belinda deserves some credit too. She has been teaching her son financial literacy for a while and says it’s an important lesson to learn. Nash has jars for spending, giving, and saving and allocates a percentage of his allowance to each.

How a Little Boy Got What He Wanted in the End

a job application in a typewriter
Photo by Markus Winkler

Although Nash didn’t land the dishwashing gig at Drake’s because he’s only 8, his dream of owning an Xbox wasn’t completely washed up. The restaurant had a little surprise in store.

Drake’s Chief Operating Officer Mark Thornburg invited Nash to an orientation for new employees where he named him an honorary Drake’s team member, and gave him the t-shirt to prove it.

However, that’s not all he did. Thornburg was so impressed by the boy’s initiative and drive that he decided to reward him in the best way possible — with an Xbox.

Nash was shocked.

Thornburg said it couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid. “His personality just shines and it could not have happened to a better person,” Thornburg told WDRB News.

While Nash was elated that he could now play Xbox with his friends, he was also, admittedly, still a little disappointed that he wasn’t going to be scrubbing dishes. “I wish I had the job and the Xbox,” Nash confessed. “I do have the Xbox, but I wish I had the job.”

His mother hopes that he still feels that way when he does finally reach the legal working age. As for right now, Belinda is proud of her son’s strong work ethic and determination and courage to go after what he wants. Something she thinks we should all be doing more of.

“Don’t be afraid to jump out there and go for it. Go get it. You want something, go get it,” she said. A lesson that Nash has obviously taken very much to heart.

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