As teenagers, it’s understood that as you get older, things get more expensive. Between proms, cars, and clothes, there’s only so much the average parent can help out with. This would be the ideal time to determine whether or not getting a part-time job is right for you.
Between school, clubs, SAT/ACT practice, sports, and making time for friends/family, it’s hard to make time for everything. Getting a part-time job as a teen is extremely common, but most teens have to decide how it will impact their performance in school and other activities they may participate in. The main key to figuring out how you’ll be able to juggle all this is time management and through developing a system for completing all assignments.
Colonia High School guidance counselor, Cheryl Galvin, commented, “Sometimes students spend too much time working and [begin to] neglect schoolwork or work too late and are very tired [for school].”
There are many benefits to having a job, besides the money. It shows initiative, ambition, and a good work ethic. Getting a job not only looks good for college applications, but it also provides real world experience and allows students to earn their own money. Some students, however, feel that getting a part-time job would create little time for them to study and ultimately decide not to get one. Some choose to work in the summer or simply on the weekends throughout the year. This allows for them to stay concentrated on their assignments and grades.
“If having a job during the school year is going to be beneficial at all, you need to have good time management skills. Otherwise, your grades will suffer as well as your ability to work efficiently as an employee. If you’re smart about it, having a job will teach you how to prioritize-if not, it’ll just stress you out,” commented junior Micaela Camacho, who works as a fitness instructor at NYU and the YMCA.
In order to better understand if you’d be able to get a part-time job, it’s important to look at any other responsibilities you may have. If you have to help your parents take care of younger siblings, regularly volunteer in your spare time, have a large course load at school, or can’t get a ride to work, you most likely would not be able to work at a part-time job.
If you find yourself with a lot of free-time and lacking extracurricular activities, or even in need of a little extra cash, getting a part-time job would probably be very beneficial for you. If you find yourself falling behind in class, create to-do lists and targets in order to stay on top of things so you’re still able to work and get your assignments done for class.
“The benefits definitely outweigh the negatives–parents should be involved and make sure students are still doing schoolwork and not working too many hours; I have seen far more benefits than negatives when it comes to students working part-time,” stated Galvin.
