Having a Job During the School Year

Every morning before school, most students have an alarm set - sometimes multiple - to begin their day and eventually make it on time to their first class. One usually plans ahead how long will take to get ready, eat breakfast, pick up the carpool, and avoid traffic. This requires time management and an organized schedule. As well as before school, time must be balanced after, as most students may have responsibilities, including sports, hobbies, extracurricular activities, self-care, home work, chores, and for some students, a job.

According to childtrends.org, 20% of high schoolers were employed in 2018. Maintaining a job during the school year requires patience, hard work, and balance. Personal schedules must be organized around the work schedules and needs. This requires time management but can eventually lead to feeling stressed, overwhelmed, tired, and overloaded with responsibilities. Depending on the employers and organizations, there are various work hours and requirements for each job. Some employed students at Saint Ursula shared their personal perspectives of having a job during the school year and their tips for managing the time.

Libby Haller works around 12-16 hours a week at Nothing Bundt Cakes, a bakery for delicious bundt cakes. Libby deals with her stress by trying to complete the majority of her homework at school, as a result of her work causing her to stay up later than normal. Despite the stress, having a job “keeps [her] organized” and helps her gain “money, independance, and a guide for the future.”

Ellie Gervason worked at the Mason Community Center, lifeguarding indoors until a few weeks ago. She spent the first semester of the school year struggling to balance both work and school. Therefore she decided she wanted to take time off work to focus on going to bed at a reasonable time during the week. She also “did not want to spend the two days of the weekend [she] has at work,” but instead with her friends."

Alivia Hyland currently works at Rooted Juicery, a plant-based kitchen and juicery. She works around 16 hours a week, on Saturdays and Sundays. Alivia says “it makes [her] learn how to be organized with [her] time and learn how to balance school, work, and sports. The people [she] works with are so fun that [she] loves going to work on the weekends.” Alivia also mentions how it can be difficult with the load of stress, but that the positive aspects are more impacting than the negative.