Student Jobs: Are They Worth It?
By Carmen Wehbe & Hannah Leffler
Despite what some may think, having a job in high school is more common than it seems. In fact, according to Walden University, “nearly 30% of high school students are employed in a job for at least a portion of the school year.” This statistic doesn’t even count the number of students who spend time volunteering or have a smaller job like tutoring or babysitting.
There are various reasons why a high school student would get a job. To spend time at social events, many students start working. Other times, it may be for more serious reasons like supporting their family or saving up for college.
Additionally, student jobs come with a list of benefits. First of all, you are gaining valuable work experience that can help build your resume. Having a job can teach teens how to manage and value their money wisely, the importance of education and budgeting, as well as time management skills.
Although having an after-school job is helpful for many students, there are some disadvantages of it. Research from Walden University shows that jobs can have an effect on school performance, especially when students are working 20+ hours a week. It can also negatively affect their mental health by replacing time with friends and family, as well as sometimes leading to burnout and fatigue.
As junior year approaches, we are both eager to get a job this summer. Carmen is already in the process of applying to be a volunteer at Kaiser Permanente this summer. Hannah is a piano teacher and is also wanting to volunteer this summer. We both want to experience having a job and all of the responsibilities that come with it. To get more insight on what a typical day looks like for a student with a job, we interviewed five high school students.
Clara– Junior
Where do you work? I work at CVS.
What hours do you work? I work Monday and Thursday from 3:30–8:30 pm and I work Saturday from 3–10 pm.
How do you balance work and school? It’s not too hard to balance work and school because I don’t work that many hours. But on work nights, I just have to get all my homework done late at night so usually I’ll just sacrifice sleep on those nights. It’s not too bad though.
Do you like your job? Explain why yes or no. Sometimes I like my job and sometimes I hate it.
What is your favorite/least favorite part of your job? The best part of my job is my co-workers because they make it fun. But, I don’t like having to deal with annoying customers and I don’t like stocking.
Peyton– Junior
Where do you work? I work as a Starbucks barista in the Safeway across the street.
What hours do you work? Usually, I close once on the weekdays 3–7 pm, and then I usually work 7–2 pm on the weekends.
How do you balance work and school? I just make sure that my work schedule gives me enough time to complete my homework and that school is my top priority.
Do you like your job? Explain why yes or no. Yeah, I do like it. I have a lot of coworkers who I really enjoy and I enjoy the fact that there’s always a fun environment even if there’s a big rush.
What is your favorite/least favorite part of your job? My favorite part is definitely the people, especially my co-workers and the regulars that come into Starbucks — they’re really friendly. My least favorite part is definitely that some of the customers can be really rude and disrespectful. And I guess just the fact that you’re standing there for 8 hours.
Cal– Senior
Where do you work? Yes, I work at Bethany Library and I’ve worked there for almost a year.
What hours do you work? I work on Sunday 2–5 pm and Monday and Tuesday from 4–6:30 pm, so not too much.
How do you balance work and school? I mean it’s not too hard because I don’t work that often. If I have homework on the weekends, I’ll just do it on Saturday or before work, or sometimes late after.
Do you like your job? Explain why yes or no. Yeah I do, but the only other people that work there are middle-aged parents so there’s not anyone I can relate to, but, everyone’s really nice.
What is your favorite/least favorite part of your job? Sometimes I’m an assistant shelfer so I usually just shelf carts — it can get really boring. But sometimes people ask me questions and when I actually know the answer it’s fulfilling to actually help them.
Yoobin– Sophomore
Where do you work? I work at Paris Baguette.
What hours do you work? I work on Sundays from 9:30–5 pm. I only work once a week.
How do you balance work and school? I only work once a week, that’s how I balance it, but since I work 8 hours it is really tiring.
Do you like your job? Explain why yes or no. I don’t like my job, and I don’t like it because I hate my manager. He’s not like the best manager that you can have. He’s really passive aggressive and really not nice, so I’m quitting soon.
What is your favorite/least favorite part of your job? Favorite is that a lot of my friends work there like that’s why I first started working. Least favorite is that I don’t like my manager and that it’s a lot of work for 8 hours too.
Gabby– Sophomore
Where do you work? I work at American Eagle Outfitters in the Washington Square Mall.
What hours do you work? They have a company policy where minors can only work 4 hour shifts.
How do you balance work and school? I have definitely informed them how many days a week I can work, and they know that I’m a student so I can prioritize that. I can tell them I have a school event and then they’ll let me not have work that day.
Do you like your job? Explain why yes or no. I do like my job. There’s a lot of really good benefits to it and all the people that work there are really nice, and my manager is really nice. It’s just a really good place to work.
What is your favorite/least favorite part of your job? My favorite part is definitely all the discounts I get. At the end of the day they were trying to sell these leggings, and we got them for $5! And my least favorite part is that you have to request off-days a month in advance. That’s the only thing I don’t like.
Student jobs are a big part of many students’ lives here at Sunset. With summer around the corner, many students are looking for something to do — and summer jobs are the perfect way to stay occupied. Whether you want to volunteer, intern, or get a summer job, there are many resources available. Your grade level Canvas page is a great place to start. It has information related to internships, volunteer opportunities, and summer jobs.
