By: Ty Dyson
Do you ever feel like you are broke and have no money? Well if you do, you’re in the same boat as a lot of people. All high school kids hang out with friends and do fun activities, but phew, that gets expensive. Sadly, money doesn’t grow on trees like we all wish it did. The trick of using the parents’ money and keeping the change doesn’t keep a solid stream of income, but it still adds up. Once you hit the age of 16, money becomes something you never knew you needed so badly. If you’re not 16 yet, you better hope the gas prices start to go down by the time you are. Everybody would feel richer if gas was never a necessary thing. Now, gas is just one of many reasons students need money and get jobs, but money is not all that can come from having a job during high school.
Most high school students are finally old enough to start working, but finding a job can be scary and hard to do. Some jobs require hours of work, and some people have time for that, but others do not. Finding the job that is right for you may take time, but it is better to find the right one rather than rush. Having a job in high school adds a lot to the plate, but learning helpful life skills is valuable. Between working after school and doing homework after school, time is cut short. School work is always important, but you can’t always choose when you have to work and how long you want to work. With having to manage homework and a job, it is important that you manage your time wisely. Time management is one of the most important skills as you get older. In college you have multiple different classes, so you decide which one is most important to do first. When you finally get that job, time management is needed every day. Without time management, procrastination gets to you. Everybody knows that feeling. It’s Thursday night, you have three tests the next day, but not a single test has been studied for. Knowing what you are doing and when you are doing it is an important skill to have to avoid tough situations.
Besides learning how to manage time, it also teaches you the value of money. Once you start making your own money, you feel accomplished. Obviously we know it’s not a lot, but every dollar means something. When you get your own money, you become smarter on your decisions with what you buy. With your money, you start to realize your parents weren’t lying when they said, “40 dollars? That’s expensive.” Now even though important skills can come from having a job, it is still hard on the student body. Even with time management, it can still be tough to manage a job with school work. Depending on the job, some people may not get off until 10:00, 11:00 or maybe even midnight. This is why it is important to find a job that fits your schedule well.
The schedules of working students can be tough, but it is possible. Every high school student wants to have money– whether it’s for food, gas or clothes– but you have to earn that money. The right job is difficult to find sometimes, but it is very important to have a job you enjoy and fits your schedule. At the end of the day, though, all of our lives would be a lot different if money would just grow on trees.
The Senator Newspaper 