[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]According to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau, 29 percent of students 16 and older in high school have jobs. There is debate over whether students should have jobs due to concerns that they will interfere with school and other aspects of their lives. Both options have its pros and cons, which will be discussed below by Yogurtland employee and news editor Christina Nguyen and editor-in-chief Farhan Ahmad.

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• It is a challenge to adjust to working as a student, and it requires a lot of self-motivation and discipline. It’s easy to waste free time, which is lessened with a job, lying in bed scrolling through Twitter for hours. However, it can increase productivity once students realize that they will never complete their school work or other errands doing that. With a work schedule, they can see when they are busy and procrastinate less. Teenagers will be forced to learn how to focus on completing work instead of being distracted by TV or phones. By learning this skill now, teenagers will be more prepared for college where they will have more freedom and even more distractions.

Social Skills

• Many part-time jobs teenagers work are servicejobs. This means that they often have to interact with and serve customers. In school,students often stay within a group of friends. However, many different types of people come into clothing stores, restaurants, and grocery stores. At Yogurtland, I had to learn how speak to different people, address their concerns and make sure they are satisfied all while maintaining a friendly demeanor even when I’m having a bad day. The social skills I learned will be helpful once I enter college where I have to build connections and network for future jobs.

Work Skills

• At work, my bosses and coworkers depend on me to commit to my job and do the tasks I’m assigned to properly. As an employee, you must respect authority and learn how to work with others. In school, collaborative activities do not occur regularly and, when they do, studentsoften choose to work with their friends. However, people with different personalities and backgrounds are forced to work together atjobs. Conflicts occur and employees must learn to not let them influence their work ethics. Employers expect their employees to be mature and independent. Students will learn to be responsible for their actions and realize their age is no longer an excuse for poorly executed tasks.

Responsibility

• Teenagers usually get a part-time to buy things they don’t have or save for college. With a job, teens will learn the importance of a dollar and the effort it takes to earn it. Knowing these things, they will be more careful of what they spend their money on. They might ask themselves if the $15 salad is worth the two hours of work. In addition, a job brings a sense of confidence and pride to teenagers because they now earn their own income and do not need to depend on their parents for money. Before I had a job, I felt wrong to ask my parents’ for money to use to pay for gas or my numerous college applications.

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Enjoy Teenage Life

• High school students will soon enter the adult world. Whether you’re going to college or not, we all will be responsible for our actions as citizens in the near future. Teenage life is fleeting. Once it’s over, responsibility will be a burden on our shoulders and the ability to freely enjoy life stifled. Why jump into responsibility that you will face soon anyway?
  Go out there, learn something new and approach the world with unwavering potential. Focusing too much on the future will cause you to miss opportunities for personal growth. There’s a reason old people lament on the past. Don’t become one of them.

Spend Your Time Wisely

• Most teenage jobs are in the service industry. Be it flipping burgers or selling shoes, the time you spend doing these tasks may not help you in the future if your aspirations are . Instead, introspect and learn a little about yourself. Read books and find what subject you like. There’s no reason to find your passion and explore a career you are potentially interested in. In my case, I found solace in public health. Expanding my interests, I invested time in the Denton County Immunization Coalition, and was recently appointed its Chairman. The experiences and skills I learned leading the coalition was worth more to me than working at some restaurant for $7.25. You can spend your time on something more meaningful at this age – it just takes a certain amount of audacity.

It’s Not About The Money

• In college, students often take jobs to help pay for their higher education. They are accountable for paying fees on time to survive. However, in high school, fiscal responsibility is usually absent. High school students that work and earn money for the first time in their life often get caught up with spending on unnecessary items, causing them to work more to offset a bad habit of binge buying. This instills a materialistic drive that focuses on money – not the experiences of having a job.
  Parents pay for everything in high school, so there is no need

School Is Your Real Job

• Grades slump with employment because time that could be spent on schoolwork is spent on work. As high school students, our main profession at this point in our lives is school, and our focus should be on education. No matter how many hours you spent at Yogurtland, college is most likely your next destination. Stick to the books and become something great. In the end, this is our job

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