In a 2019 study by the University of Washington News, Molly McEllory, a researcher, found that working during the school year can impede school performance or cause behavior problems for students.
One thing many students are thinking about is their futures, whether that be more education or going straight into the workforce. Either way, teenagers need real-world skills that are most commonly learned by having a job in high school.
The biggest struggle for these teenagers is finishing a six-hour school day and going straight to work for another four hours. Then, there’s homework that’s due the next morning. Some students aren´t able to maintain a balance, and their grades start to slip, which may affect their long-term goals for a short-term gain.
¨Making money might feel more important, but in reality, going to school and getting the grades that I need are probably a priority because it’ll help me in the future to get a job I would potentially want instead of the one that I have,¨ senior Owen Packard said.
While having a job in high school can be very stressful, students are asked to balance school, work, and all of their relationships. They are usually asked to work upwards of 20 hours a week, and the pay is fairly satisfactory, but in the long run, is it really worth it? For many, the money they are earning is most likely going towards their college tuition, so for them, maybe it is.
¨I don’t really think it’s worth it. If you have a full-time job or, like, a job that pays well, I think it’s worth it. But if you’re getting paid minimum wage, the money you make is so small it doesn’t really make a dent in college debt,¨ senior Jonas Wright said.
A large majority of students feel like they are missing out on the high school experience. This is valid because the memories that are made in high school can never be made again later in life. That may look like not being able to hang out with friends or see their family. This usually happens because the students are so worn out from going to school and working 20 or more hours a week that they have no more energy.
Trying to figure out whether having a job is more important than getting the grades they want is also a conflict. Most of the time these teenagers aren’t able to actually go home and do the necessary homework and may end up studying until 12 am. While they try to get enough sleep to stay awake and pay attention in school the next day, they repeat the same routine every day.
¨The hardest part of working in school is probably just getting to sleep on time, because I get home pretty late on a daily basis, and my grades have sometimes suffered,” senior Chase Mulholland said.
Students have enough struggles without a job, but adding that additional workload and stress sometimes heavily impacts the student. Whether that be missing out on experiencing high school, losing friendships, or even growing apart from family. All of these sacrifices that students make are all for their job.
Although for some, having a job gives their lives structure or maybe gives them something to do, most students find that the trials and complications of having a job are not worth sacrificing their friendships and grades.
