Students advise working in high school

Students+advise+working+in+high+school

Mehul Shrivastava, Staff Writer
January 9, 2016

High school brings a lot of changes to students’ lives. Homework, endless hours of studying and extracurricular activities become a huge part of a high schooler’s life. When given all of these duties, students try to take some responsibility from their parents or guardians and manage it themselves, specifically financial aspects.

Sophomore Prachi Jhawar currently has two jobs. She works at Kumon of Westford, which is a learning center that provides math and reading programs after school for students in preschool to seniors in high school. She also works at the After School program in Crisafulli, and over the summer, she works at a summer camp at the Westford Recreation Department known as Kids Club.

Jhawar got her job at Kumon of Westford easily, since she volunteered beforehand, and it didn’t take too long to get it since she went there previously. As for the after school job, she went to a leadership camp over the summer, and was recommended for the job.

Jhawar works for three hours at Kumon on Wednesdays. She has found working as well as taking five honors courses has been a little bit challenging, and her free time is limited over the week. However, she usually has her weekends free, which is when she can spend time with her family and friends.

Jhawar finds it better to make sure she can finish her school work before she turns her attention towards her job.

“Put your school work first, because that’s what’s going to get you a better job in life, and these might look really good on your resume and stuff, but you need to put your school work first because without that, you’re not going to go anywhere,” said Jhawar.

While Jhawar works with kids as her job, junior Morgan Walter takes a different route. Walter works at Journey’s, a store in the Pheasant Lane Mall. They were looking to hire, and Walter, who had just turned sixteen in August, was looking for a job to save up for a car, so she applied.

“It’s pretty fun. I mean the people there make it better than it would be if it were not fun. So, it’s… it’s all about the people,” said Walter.

Since Walter works in New Hampshire, the working hours are much more flexible and she can fit work into her schedule more easily, which is better for her since she has to also focus on school, dance and being the makeup designer for middle school plays. She also finds free time to spend with her friends and family. Over the holidays, Walter gets scheduled more often than she would normally. On Black Friday, she worked from 8 PM to 1 AM, as well as working five more hours the day after that.

Walter finds it more worthwhile for having a job you enjoy doing rather than just working for money.

“Make sure it’s something that you’re going to enjoy, and you’re not just doing it for, like, money. Make sure it’s something you’re going to have fun with. If it’s something that’s not fun, or starts to affect your school work at all, definitely quit because it’s not worth the impact. In the end, you’ll have your whole life to work, and don’t get a job unless it’s something you choose to do,” said Walter.

Some students end up working in working in places they never thought they would be. Junior Jack Crossley currently works at the Market Basket in Nashua. Even though he never wanted to work there before, he enjoys the job now, has met a lot of new people.

“It is pretty rewarding to get compliments from the customers who are pleased and to start carrying responsibilities instead of taking money from my parents,” said Crossley.

Crossley works over the weekends for an average of fifteen hours. When he first got the job in spring, he found it difficult to work over the week and handle school at the same time. This school year, he decided to only work weekends to maximize time for school work. Over the holidays, he works longer hours, as well as during Easter and Thanksgiving.

Crossley believes that it is important to make good first impressions when you get a job so more people will notice you.

“If you just started working, make the best first impressions possible, especially if you are looking to be promoted to a different position,” said Crossley.

While adding a job to a high schooler’s pile of responsibilities may serve as a challenge, it has the potential to provide them with skills and experiences that will help them throughout their life.

Are you looking for a job?  Here is a small list to help get you started!