The balance between work and life has always been a huge problem in the daily lives of adults. However, many students in school also have jobs, school, everyday extra activities, and their personal lives to attend to.
It’s extremely difficult to manage all of these things all at once, so it’s important to acknowledge the way that these students balance their busy lives. Taking a look at what may be going on “behind the scenes” in these teenagers’ lives can open a door of acknowledgement that wasn’t there before. When it comes to having many responsibilities on top of school, being open to listening to their struggles creates a rounded understanding of the challenges they face.
“I never realized how much time I would be losing by getting a job, it takes much more time away from me doing usual things like lifting after school or finishing homework when I get home,” sophomore Tanisha Rahman said. “I work two to three times a week, and each work day is usually three to four hours. I manage school and my job by making sure I finish my work in study hall, and the time that I have in school helps me turn things in on time.”
Many teenagers all around the world have jobs, whether it is to be financially independent, to help their family, or to gain experience, they all have one thing in common: multiple priorities that take lots of time and effort. Not being able to balance these priorities could put an person’s education at great risk, which is an heavily contributing factor to one’s future.
“Handling both work at Hollister and school can be a bit of a juggle, but I make it work by staying organized and managing my time well,” an anonymous student said. “But, it can get complicated sometimes, especially when I have upcoming tests or AP exams. I try my best to balance my shifts with my classes and sports, while still making sure I have time for myself, and I work around 20-25 hours a week.”
Moreover, taking into account the impact of a part-time or full-time job at the same time as focusing on school can have a negative impact on a student’s time management and grades. Despite that, having a job from an individual’s teenage years can also bring benefits and positive factors into their lives. For example, a working student can learn the value of money and get better at being financially independent at a young age, as well as gain experience in the field of their work, or just job experience itself. In the long run, these characteristics brighten up the struggles that they may face, and don’t make having a job during high school all that bad; in fact, it can be enjoyable to many people.
“Research shows that, in general, working a job has positive developmental effects on the life of a teenager,” EvolveTreatment, a center that offers mental health and substance abuse treatment to teenagers said. “There’s a catch, however: too much work is not good, and too little work doesn’t show positive results. Moderate, steady work proves the most beneficial route for teens who do work.”
Its necessary to recognize the additional challenges these students face on top of academic ones. After all, It can be heavy to carry, being a high school student with a job.
Many students need a lot of time after school to do their assignments or prepare for exams, and when that time is overtaken by sports, extracurriculars, or a job, their academic performance can worsen. Because of this, they are required to put in large amounts of effort to balance their activities and complete their work at school.
“I only work on weekends, so it isn’t terrible to balance both at the same time. I do most of my school work with the time I’m given in school, and I complete the rest after school or work. The main struggle I have with it is probably not being able to have a lot of time to study for my tests,” senior Vanshika Srivastava said. “Working helps you grow in a lot of ways and it keeps you busy, my biggest problem with it is just losing time for studying.”
