While having a job while in high school has its benefits and has its drawbacks. Students who have jobs while they are still in school often need to learn the importance of time management as well as being able to keep up with grades, attendance, and test scores. Some students may find this more challenging than others depending on what kind of student learner they are. From student’s eyes, having a job is all about the money they are receiving, and none tend to think about the life skills that they have been acquiring. These skills include interpersonal and communication skills, building a resume, work ethic, the value of money, confidence and as well as social skills. Knowing how to effectively communicate and work with others to reach a goal is an important factor to success. While building leaderships skills, having a real job with real pay can help when you want to apply for a new or better job. Although the money aspect is what teenager really look forward to, not all jobs are going to be fun, but by working that job that you may not like, you can develop new skills and benefits for doing your job well. When high school students first get a job, when they get that first paycheck, they probably are going to want to spend it (I know I did), but I soon realized that money goes fast, and you should save it. That doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to spend your money, a helpful way is to give yourself an amount that you can spend, and an amount to save, for example, saving for college (it’s never too late to start saving).  

   Not long ago, I myself had just gotten my first job as a high school student. Although my job is something that I know a lot about, I still learn new things every day by being in a social environment that I am not used to that is full of more experienced people and adults then me. Learning the skills of everyday life and communication with adults has had a positive impact on my life, as for my confidence in speaking up and teaching. I play travel softball and my recent employment has been at a baseball facility to help little kids learn how to play the game and help them fall in love with it as I very much have. With kids, their attention spans are not the highest so some of them lose track of what we are doing, but with the communication and social skills that I have adapted to be able to keep it fun and keep them on track has helped very much for me.  

    Here are a few words from fellow high school students who have placed themselves in the working atmosphere and what they think about it.  

AP: “I work at Red Diamond Baseball Academy and for being a senior in high school, I was never a very social person, I was laid back and went with the flow. My social skills were not the best but stepping up and getting a job that put myself out there in front of kids who were looking to me to teach them really helped me get out of my shell and be able to work more effectively and efficiently.” -Austin Plitz  

BK: “I work at Jets Pizza as a sophomore in high school. I have learned skills like being able to get something done on time, and the right way to make customers happy. While working, I also have learned to get along with my coworkers so we can all accomplish what we need to for that shift.” -Brayden Karpinsky 

IB: “I am a hostess at the restaurant Mavrix, and I think that by being a hostess, I have learned how to talk to people of all ages so they can have a good time while eating. I have learned to not get mad when something goes wrong, instead I make sure it is fixed or taken care of. I have an amount that I can spend when I get paid and then I also put money away because I am going to need it for college next year.” -Isabella Bisby