by Madeline Best

I, like many other students at STA, have an after-school job. Even though some days are better than others, I’m glad to have the job that I do. Although it is common for high school students to have jobs, it can sometimes be overlooked how hard it is for teenagers to balance school, sports, studying AND a job. For those of you considering applying for a job or already have one, I’ve compiled a list of what my pros and cons for working part-time during high school are:

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Pros:

• Income: Making money means having money to spend on clothes, concert tickets and other items without having to borrow money from your parents. As a high schooler, it’s easy to spend money and become broke so having a source of income helps to finance your purchases and teaches you more about financing your life. By saving your money, you can also teach yourself a valuable life lesson and never have to worry about overspending.
• Meeting New People: It’s a given that if you have a job, you will meet co-workers and hopefully become friends with them. While at some places the majority of employees are adults, some people (like myself) work at places where most of the employees are teenagers. This gives you an opportunity to meet people from other schools that you might not have met otherwise and make new friends.
• Life Experience: Working in an environment where you are constantly forced to talk to strangers and answer questions helps with self-confidence and public speaking. Being put in an awkward situation or dealing with an angry customer builds character and helps to prepare you for situations like this that might arise later in your life. Having work experience is also something that you can put on your resume. By having a job in high school, you are going into college and eventually the work force with some experience behind you. This gives you the upper hand in having experience and gives you a deeper understanding of the social etiquette of having a job.

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Cons:

• Long Shifts After School: The major problem I have with having an after school job is that it cuts into the time I spend on homework and studying. Although my work schedule doesn’t involve me being at work very late, I have heard STA students talk about being at work until past 10:00pm on a school night. Having eight hours of school then roughly between three to six hours of work after school ends up making a teenager’s day much longer than it should be.
• Weekend Time: If you have a job in high school, it is pretty much a given that you will have to work sometime during the weekend. By having to make up for the fact that you are unavailable for a majority of the time during the week due to school, this means you will spend part of your Saturday or Sunday working instead of having fun. Having to stay at work can lead to missing out on going places and doing things with friends and all around just not having an awesome day.
• Stress: School is stressful enough for a teenager to handle, but after throwing in a job, your life can be hectic. Some jobs are more fast-paced than others and can mean working non-stop the whole shift with little to no time to take a break. Your job may also come with a whole new set of rules to follow just like school, which can stress a teenager out.

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