Students working: Good or bad?

Imagine having to go to work, then going to practice after the shift ends, and then going home after practice to study for a test that will be taken the next day. Many students from Calexico High School are able to relate to this as they hold jobs, as well as going to school.

According to U.S. census taken in 2013, 1 in 4 high school students go to school and have jobs. Some students learn how to balance out school, homework and their job. CHS student Kayla Ruelas said, “Surprisingly, I can balance school and work quite well.” She also said, “I don’t really get stressed out because I only work weekends and can use some of my free time for homework.” Although there are people that are able to manage their work and school, some people have a hard time being able to balance their studies and their job.

The work hours of students in high school are generally the same. Because they have to be at school for eight hours each day, students work for 12 hours or fewer each week. Some students work during the weekends so that their work hours do not interfere with school. Some managers already know and adapt the schedule so that the students’ work hours cannot interfere with their studies. “My manager understands that I don’t really rest on Fridays before work so she is very lenient.” said Ruelas. There are occasions where the students talk to their managers so that they can come to an agreement of work hours so they don’t interfere with their school work.

Many people think that it’s a good idea to get a job while in high school. “I think having a job is good because we get a glimpse of what it’s like to be independent,” said CHS student Andrea Quiroz. She also said, “It could be beneficial because it allows students to save money to use for college.” Some people support this idea because they believe it is possible to do well in school while having a job. To support this idea, a study done at UCSD found that high school students who have jobs do equally well in school as those that do not have jobs.

Although some students believe having a job while going to high school is a positive thing, there are people who think otherwise. CHS student Victoria Aguilar said, “I think that having a job while in high school can be bad because students can become stressed and this can cause them to lose track of their school work.”

She also said, “I believe that students who have jobs don’t really get to enjoy the teenage life, which can be a bad thing.” To support this idea, a study done in 2007 by a professor at Virginia Tech, Kusum Singh, found that working more than 15 hours a week had a harmful effect on academics.

There are many opinions concerning the benefits or disadvantages of high school students having jobs, and many studies have been done to support either side. Apart from these opinions, many high school students still have jobs, including here at Calexico High School.