Senior Avery Hericks searches for an employment opportunity for this upcoming semester. photo by Maggie Foos
Working a job while enrolled in high school can be beneficial to students’ lives after graduation.
While many high school students focus solely on their academics, some also add to their high school experience by working an after school job. This includes jobs such as hosting at a restaurant, caddying at a country club, cashiering at a grocery store, and many more.
Balancing employment with academics can be beneficial to life after graduation. CTE Partnership Coordinator Danny Showers is an advocate for students working while in high school. Showers is very passionate about the subject, saying, “The reason why I feel it would be good for [students] to have a job while in high school is so that they can prepare themselves early in life on how to engage in a type of employment, but also so they can learn employer expectations early in life.” He feels strongly about this because sometimes students wait until later in life to experience the expectations of an employer, so having this opportunity while in high school will allow the students to gain insight into many career fields.
Various jobs give students real world experience before they go out into the world after graduation. Working a job allows them to grow and learn, gaining knowledge and practice for life after high school and college. Most jobs teach students how to interact with adults and to be respectful in a workplace, in addition to guiding the student to discover their interests to prepare for a future career. Senior Landon Cramer works at Jay’s Valet and he encourages other students to work as well. He says that it has taught him a sense of responsibility and how to manage a schedule, as well as how to make connections with different types of people. His advice to students thinking about getting a job is: “Try working. It doesn’t hurt to try and you might find that you like it. And the good news is that if it is too much to manage you can find a more suitable job. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to make money.” Each student is unique, and figuring out what they enjoy doing is important in figuring out who they are as people.
There are many resources for finding a job in high school, such as ads and job boards posted around the school as well as snagajob.com, which is an excellent resource. On Snag a Job, people can simply enter in basic information along with their zip code and get email updates on job openings in their area. Within the TJ community, Showers is also a great resource when looking for a job. He frequently receives emails from employers seeking high school-aged kids to come work for them.
Even though the thought of working a job can be overewhelming, it is something that everyone must do at some point in their life, and beginning that journey in high school can be profitable in many ways. It allows students to venture into the real world and gain experiences earlier in life. Working while in high school is not only a fun learning experience, but it allows students to start their journey of independence before going to college.
