Juggling an intense school workload along with a tiring work schedule can be a lot for students. The thought of going through almost seven hours of school, and then sports for some, only to go straight to work after, is dreadful to most people. However, despite the negative effects, the benefits of having a job and being able to provide a little for yourself are endless.
Every student can agree that school is stressful on its own. Caitlyn Brien ‘26, a junior at Hollis Brookline High School, understands the difficulty of balancing school and her job as she works almost four days a week at Buckley’s Cafe. “It definitely does give me more stress, but it is definitely manageable,” said Brien.
Although school can be very stressful and is different for everybody, how you manage your time and balance school and work can make a huge difference. “Working and focusing on school has taught me a better work ethic and I feel more fulfilled by my accomplishments, so I would say that it’s made my mental health better. But that is to a certain extent, there have been weeks where juggling both has been stressful and I’ve felt burnt out but working through it and pushing myself makes it worth it,” said Katie McCole ‘26, who also works at Buckley’s.
Having a job in high school can be a huge learning curve and teach you many things you might not have known or weren’t prepared for yet. It is a great way to learn more about what you enjoy doing and what you don’t, and is also beneficial for future jobs to come. Having that experience under your belt can come in handy in the future when you are going for a job interview.
Brien understands the importance of these skills. “I think having a job definitely does help people grow as a person, [especially] in high school. It does teach you a lot of lessons, like working in customer service,” said Brien.
Even though working part-time while also balancing school is difficult, it will ultimately prepare you for the world outside of school and you will feel much more prepared. That being said, working part-time as a student comes with many ups and downs, and doesn’t align with everyone’s schedules. Some people have sports or extracurriculars to worry about and don’t have time to focus on anything else. The most important and crucial part about working part-time and school is being able to handle and balance it.
