Being in school while having a job can be stressful, however, it builds skills you will use all your life

Having a job as a teenager can teach you time management, financial skills, and patience. It allows you to make money to spend on things such as going to a movie with your friends or shopping. Experts at Walden University state that a job “can teach the importance of budgeting.” Thunderbird sophomore, Ezekiel Livingstone, says “I think my job as a cashier helped me develop my conversation skills, pronunciation skills, listening skills, and basic understanding of having a job. I learned about being financially wise, saving, and working for the purpose of improving my future. Having a job definitely positively impacts [him] in terms of experience.” He recommends others give it a try. Having a job at a young age also gives teens a feeling of achievement, builds their confidence, and helps them develop lifelong skills.

Additionally, there are downsides to having a job while being a student. Working is a big responsibility. Jobs take time away from your personal life. Students have homework, tests, friends, sports, and projects to focus on in high school. Having a job can add to the stress teens already have. It means trading your free time for making money, which does work for some people. Ezekiel spoke about his experience, and he addressed, “Having a job prevented any after-school activities on the days in which [he] worked, however [he] did make friends of many ages in the workplace which was an interesting experience.” Another sophomore, Ariana Bundy, said working helped her come out of her shell more and learn to be independent as a person and not rely on others. 

Having a job is like a rollercoaster of ups and downs. For example, I myself have a job. I am a swim instructor and it requires a lot of dedication and effort. Balancing school, sports, and a job, consumes my free time. It is stressful but overall, I love my job because I get to teach kids basic swimming skills and furthermore, prevent them from drowning.

Depending on the job a student has,  affects their life differently. Getting a job is a big responsibility that an individual has to decide if they are ready to take it on.