For many teenagers, having a job in high school is very much a norm. Teens have all sorts of different reasons for wanting (or needing) a job, and for each person it’s usually different. But is it really worth it? While some teens are forced to get a job due to their family needing them to get one, a large amount of people do not, and just have one for extra cash. The extra stress of having a job can have a negative effect on someone who is still in high school, but many teens still have one regardless.

That isn’t to say having a job can’t be absolutely spectacular. It gets a person a little bit of money that they can spend on the things such as gas and food. It allows a person some financial independence from their parents, and they don’t have to ask their parents for money all the time. Teens can go and spend money with their friends, knowing how much they have and how much they want to spend. That sense of responsibility is one of the most important things about having a job.

However, as previously stated, there are still some negatives to having one. For one, it cuts into homework and/or sleep time. Both of those things can cause problems at school, whether the student doesn’t have their homework finished or they are simply overtired. This cycle is especially evident on students who work during weekdays. Working late one night, the homework starts to pile up, especially on students who are taking AP or college courses.

Once again, however, all of these variables can change depending on how good the student is at balancing their time and how good their working place is about not giving them a ridiculous amount of hours on weekdays. If one can figure out a happy balance between the two, its quite possible that the student can be both a productive student, as well as being an equally productive member of the work force.