Many students work because they need money to pay for things like phone bills, subscriptions, car payments, and insurance. Some students also help their families with bills at home. The average student works a part-time job, but some students are working full-time, and some even have multiple part-time jobs. Most students work in fast food, retail, or hospitality jobs because those jobs are easier for teenagers to get while still in school.
One student from Pasco, Jocelyn Valencia, said she decided to get a job so she could become more independent and responsible. She is 18 years old and currently works three jobs, including DoorDash, iPlay, and TJ Maxx. She also recently bought a car and is working to manage her responsibilities while being in school and doing Running Start online.
“I work three jobs, so it can be a lot trying to balance everything with school, but I manage it,” Jocelyn said. “I mainly got a job so I could be independent and help pay for my car and other things I need.”
Even though Jocelyn says she doesn’t mind working and feels okay about it, she admits that balancing everything can still be tiring at times.
“Sometimes it’s just a lot, especially with Running Start and school work on top of everything,” she said. “It doesn’t really bother me working, but there are days where I’m really tired and just want to rest.”
She also shared that after high school, she plans to go to college.
“After high school, I want to go to college and become a dentist,” Jocelyn said.
Another student from Pasco, Natalie Muñis, said she decided to get a job so she could become more independent and responsible. She currently works around 20 hours a week and has been working for about two years. Natalie said having a job helps her financially and allows her to afford her own things while also helping her mom and paying for her own car.
“It affects my sleep because sometimes I have to do my work later at night because I didn’t have time during the day because of work,” Natalie said.
Some students can manage to keep their grades decent despite having a job, but on the other hand, some students are unsure if they are graduating on time. If they don’t pass a class during their last trimester, they could graduate late. Missing assignments, being tired in class, and not having enough time to study can make school even harder for working students.
Students with jobs also often don’t get enough sleep. The average student should be sleeping for about 8 hours, but with a job, many students only sleep about 5–6 hours before they have to get up for school in the morning. Some students go straight from school to work and don’t get home until late at night, leaving them little time to rest.
“One of the hardest parts is staying motivated and keeping up with everything,” Natalie said.
Natalie also said she sometimes misses school activities because of work and has even thought about quitting because it has become too overwhelming.
“It is very hard trying to manage both work and school at the same time,” she said.
This creates a lot of stress for students since they don’t feel like they have enough free time to do anything else. These students are also the ones struggling to finish homework because they can’t always find the time to do it. Even though having a job can teach responsibility, many students say it can sometimes become overwhelming when combined with school responsibilities.
Finally, having a job while being in school can be both helpful and stressful for students. While students are gaining experience and learning responsibility, many are also struggling to balance everything at once. Jocelyn said she would still recommend students getting a job because it helps build independence, even though managing school, work, and personal life can sometimes be challenging.
