As a senior who’s been working since the last few months of junior year, this is my take on having a job in high school. To start off, I’ve always been a straight-A student who’s always put school first. I always try my best to get work done on the hour that it’s due, or even before it’s due. But with a job? Sometimes you get derived of that time. You find that you have to start doing your work in class or even after you get home from work, which can even take up until 11 or 12 at night. You may ask, “Have you kept your grades up since you’ve been working?” Short answer is yes. Truly, it’s not hard to keep your grade up… just DON’T cheat. You could even be like me who’s nearly missed a full week last week, but still be able to keep your grades up and do your work from home.
Here’s a few Pros of working during High School:
- You have your own money
- You aren’t home all of the time, out and about
- You can make friends through work, that’s what I’ve done
- You may have more opportunities, especially when it comes to future careers
- Working can even be a source of getting a good headspace/working on your work ethic
- Depending on what you do, you might end up liking what you do
- You might have more energy to do things, more of a drive
- Flexible hours or able to request time off to do things that you want to do
- If you don’t get enough sleep at night, you can always try and take a nap before going in
A few Cons of working during High School:
- You may not get enough sleep, results in poor attitude and/or work ethic
- Could lose your motivation to do school work, especially if you’re hyper-focused on work
- Unable to go out and do things with friends
- Depending on the workspace, it could lead to more stress
- You’re m0re apt to getting sick or dealing with an illness
- You could get overworked, too stressed out
- Not enough time to do things you love to do
- Having to renew the work permit every new semester (for those under 18)
Your parents might even be a big factor into whether you get a job or not. Whether if they push you or if they don’t. Either way, do the things that would be best for you. If you want to balance both? Go for it! You can even try it out and if it’s too much, lower your hours or quit the job. Just in the end? Don’t stress yourself out, nothing is worth the mental anguish.
