It’s the manic rush from 4th block to your car parked on the other side of the school. It’s changing into your uniform while driving down the street like James Bond reincarnate. It’s giving up Friday nights to get some extra hours. It’s the 4% tip. It’s the intense feeling of satisfaction when you collapse into your bed at 9:30 because you’re off that day. It’s catching up on homework that was assigned on Tuesday that you find yourself finishing at 12:30 on Thursday night. It’s a part time job.

In a recent surveymonkey.com poll taken here at Bob Jones, 14 out of 47 students confirm that they have part-time jobs while being a full time student, the majority working 10-15 hours per week. To many, balancing the dinner shift and a term paper has become second nature. But is that necessarily a good thing? Aside from the obvious perks of a paycheck, how does having a job while earning a diploma really affect our students?

While some of the benefits are quite lucid, however, looking below the surface, the true evolutions made are not as simplistic as, say, gas money. Studies done by the College Board show that maintaining a job at this stage of life teaches commitment, time management, responsibility, and good money handling habits. Essentially, all qualities that will be of frequent use throughout all phases of life; “students with these opportunities transition to college, work, or the military more easily,” states guidance counselor, Ms. Piro. Additionally, working at the edge of becoming apart of the real world can help you identify or eliminate certain career paths. For example, if you were a waitress at a barbeque restaurant and you found yourself abhoring your job, you could safely remove the service industry as a possibility for your future endeavors.

As alluring as these betterments might appear, there cannot be light without a dose of dark. With the stress of work pressures added on to the academic and social demands of high school, students with jobs are thought to be more susceptible to anxiety disorders, lower academic levels, and less likely to hold leadership positions, participate in extracurricular activities, and register in college. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development reason that students who work excessive hours generally “achieve at lower levels academically, are more likely to engage in negative behaviors, have lower academic and career aspirations, and are less likely to hold leadership positions, engage in extracurricular activities, and attend or stay in college.”

Looking at both sides of the spectrum, the key to a happy marriage of school and work is moderation. Working a reasonable number of hours can help keep your stress in check and afford you all the benefits of a well rounded, responsible individual.