High School is intended to be a period, that prepares students to excel in adulthood. One aspect of adulting that high school doesn’t cover though is how to get a job. Many students have decided to get a head start on this process and get part-time jobs, while they are still in school.
Having a job, while in school, can positively affect a student’s life. Students can learn new life skills, that will help them in the future, and work on being independent and responsible at the same time.
“I work at All Access Dance Studio, teaching little kids,” junior Natalie Pando said. “If there’s one thing this job has taught me it is how to be patient, and since I want to work with children, when I am older, I feel as if I’m developing skills that can help me in the long run.”
It can be difficult to fit in work, extracurriculars, and time for friends all in one schedule, without being completely overwhelmed, which is why having a part-time job is not for everyone. Students need to be organized and very dedicated since it takes a lot of hard work to manage so many things at once.
“Having a job can definitely be stressful at times,” junior Isabel Gonzalez said. “The scheduling conflicts can be frustrating because sometimes you schedule a shift and then later find out you have a test, quiz, or some sort of other commitment also scheduled for that same day.”
All working students go through these challenges and the only way to overcome them is to figure out what works best for them and their schedule. It is best to come up with a plan that helps students balance everything they want to achieve in a way that still leaves them personal time to have fun.
“I work on the weekends, so I try to get all of my school work done by Saturday morning,” senior Isabella Baquerizo said. “I do this so I don’t have to worry about doing any homework on Sunday night, after coming back from a shift, and I can just go straight to bed and decompress in preparation for a new school week.”
Overall, having a job is not just about making some extra money, it takes a lot of maturity to maintain a healthy balance. But when a little hard work and effort is put in, having a job can be very rewarding and can serve as a stepping stone to future success.
