The idea of juggling schoolwork, extracurricular activities, sports and a job seems daunting, however, this is the reality for many high school students. While underclassmen are usually exempt due to their age, many upperclassmen must work either a part-time or full-time job in order to pay for personal expenses.
Senior Dakota Macon says he always knew he would have a job early on in life because he was taught the value of hard work by his parents.
“I work because my father and grandpa taught me that’s what men do, and if you don’t work you’re either disabled or lazy,” Macon said.
There are many different reasons why a student may feel the need to work a job.
“I work to make money to pursue college and my hobbies,” senior Seth Huffman said.
Senior Kylee Fajen started her work career her sophomore year when she started working at Sonic Drive-in. Her junior year she took on a second job working at J&D Pharmacy and a summer job at a marina. Fajen says her reasoning for working is to save up as much money as she can for college.
“I know working this hard now will be worth it during college because I will be able to go without a job to focus on my school work,” Fajen said
According to a poll sent out to the student body, with 71 responses, 63.4 percent of respondents answered “yes” to having to work during the school year. Just over 54 percent responded that working while in high school affects their performance in school and sports. The majority of respondents said they need a job to pay for car payments/insurance, clothes, phone bills, etc.
As students get older, they are often tasked with more responsibilities and bills that they must pay. In order to stay out of the red, students are taking on more hours just to be able to afford their expenses. With an increase in hours, students may begin to fall behind in their education and athletics. Some student athletes have found a solution to this problem.
“I just work at the pool during the summer for gas during the school year. This allows me to be focused on my sports,” junior Brady Slavens said.
Senior Rheanna Coke started out at McDonald’s her sophomore year and has worked there ever since. Coke says she started off with minimal hours, but with acquiring new bills to pay over the years, she now works close to 40 hour weeks.
“Sometimes working so much on top of school is difficult because I tend to put work above school, just because I’m spending more time at McDonald’s than I am at school,” Coke said. “Scheduling in a good amount of sleep is hard because I work nights and workout in the morning. Definitely a stressful schedule but the paychecks almost make it worth it.”