Being able to go to school and get a job may seem a little bit stressful and not fun to some, but this can be an opportunity that students may use after obtaining a work permit from the school. All students below the age of 18 need to get a work permit in order to get an official job under an employer because of the Child Labor Law. This is in order to protect students’ health, wellbeing, and safety in a work environment.
After getting their work permit, just like Sophomore Brielle Cox, a student can then start working. The reason for Brielle working is because she wants to make money while also being trained by someone she knows at Rita’s. “I’m working at Rita’s so for one of my sports seasons, it’s closed so I only have to work and balance school and sports in fall,” she says for her logical thinking behind her decision. She also says that she is not too busy due to the weather of the season when she also plays a sport. Brielle recommends this to people who generally have free time and want to make money since she also does not have a lot of time taken up by doing homework. She suggests that, “If you struggle in school, I don’t recommend getting a job especially if you’re trying to improve your grades, or you have too much crowding in your schedule already.”
Just like Brielle, Sophomore Lydia Fultz also started working because of wanting money, but she wants money so she can save to get a car and in case she does not get scholarships for college to fund it fully. “Dealing with sports and a job is definitely going to be, and is already, a handful. However, I don’t plan to work everyday during the week”, Lydia explains. She likes to go to bed early and sometimes school work takes up that precious time she likes already, so she says she will not have a whole lot of time for herself. Lydia believes that working is not for everyone and thinks that if a student does not have to work, they should enjoy their youth as it will not last forever.
That being said, everyone has their own situations and opinions on the matter of getting a job during their high school years. Whether it is necessary or not for someone’s success, getting a job could be the start to getting used to how life will be after high school and if the opportunity presents itself at a good time, it may be wise to take it. Working during high school is not mandatory and students should always put their education first when deciding if sports or a job is worth it.
