Around the age of 16, or when high school students are in tenth or eleventh grade, many begin a new chapter of their life by getting a job. This can introduce new responsibilities that many of these teenagers have not experienced yet. Some of those include time management, communicating professionally with supervisors, and a new form of income. A job can put a damper on the amount of time students have to complete their school work by the deadline. Students may find themselves becoming more independent acting as though they may not need to rely on their parents as much. Such as not having to drive them around or pay for things that they want. While there are positives to getting a job there can also be negatives. Students may feel stressed out if they have homework they need to complete but cannot because they are working at their job late into the night. Students may also feel distant from their peers if they are working lots of hours and could develop a fear of missing out.
When Ballard Junior, Dinah Condra, was asked how she manages her time between school work and her job she replied, “I make sure I complete all of my school work in class so that when I go to my job I am not stressing over what I need to complete once I get home. I usually get off work at 10 pm so there really isn’t time to finish any homework my teachers gave me.” When Condra was asked if she enjoys her job and the new found sense independence she said, “I love it! I really like the people I’m working with and the customers are very nice. I like how I do not have to rely on my parents for everything anymore and it makes it even better now that I can drive.” The last question that was asked is what advice Condra would give to students who have a job and are struggling to manage their time. She replied, “My advice is to prioritize school work over your job and do not waste time in class when you have school work to do.”
Having a job can be a privilege but also a learning curve especially when learning how to handle your own money and what your priorities need to be focused on. Once students are to the age of getting a job, being able to find a balance between school and work can help tremendously in reducing the stress of beginning the independence in our lives.
