Introduction
Many teens in high school get thrilled at the idea of working part time while still in school. The opportunity to make money is good and some parents give their children the liberty to work while still in school. For others, they would hear none of it because to them it is a complete waste of time. Whichever opinions parents may have the issue of students working throughout high school should be thought through carefully before making any decisions.
Some students might find that their expectations about their prospective jobs are very different from the reality on the ground. However, if the students are open minded they will adjust well into the work place. Students should be allowed to work throughout high school to learn life skills and get a greater understanding of how the world operates once they are legal adults.
Networking
Working while still in school presents students with a golden chance to start networking early in their life. The students who do part time jobs in companies get the opportunity to meet their future employers and if they become good employees while doing their stints as part time employees they will improve, their employability levels in the future because they will not be strangers in the same work places.
Moreover, their former employers can offer them valuable assistance in case they need a reference from their current or former employers.
The employers can also guide them in the right direction to take if they proof to be worthwhile employees. Students should also not shy away from working as volunteers in non profit organizations because such services might provide them with an opening in the future through making connections with people who might play a major role in their future careers. However, that should not be the primary goal of volunteering because one should give expecting nothing in return.
Learn the real world
Students who work while still in high school get an opportunity to see how the real world operates and thus are better equipped than those who do not venture in the business world earlier. Working enables the students to integrate some of the things they learn theoretically in class in a real environment and makes them develop analytical skills as they deal with the challenges they encounter in their workplace.
This increases their understanding, which may translate into better grades. Moreover, they gains skills that one cannot get in the classroom such as interaction with different clients or customers and thus they are equipped to deal with people from diverse backgrounds. Such students can comfortably work in any part of the world because their interactions with various people prepare them to become global citizens (Anderson & Murphy, 6).
Responsibility
The opportunity to work makes students more responsible. A working student has to juggle three things that is education, work and play or leisure. Such a student must develop discipline to be able to balance the three things so that none suffers due to neglect because all are equally important.
A student gets an opportunity to learn how to manage their time well and thus even in the future they will be able to handle their jobs well even if it means working extra time. Students also learn to be responsible with money because working teaches them the value of money unlike those who receive it from others and spend it without knowing its value or what it takes to earn.
Make an extra coin
Students get an opportunity to make some extra money and can buy stuff they admire which maybe their parents are unable to get them. Students come from diverse backgrounds in terms of economic resources. Some have adequate money and do not need to work at all. On the other hand, some come from disadvantaged backgrounds and must chip in to help the rest of the family and thus the opportunity to work while studying is valuable to them as it enables them to help their families or even cater for part of their school expenses.
Academics may suffer
Conversely, working throughout high school may affect a student’s academic performance adversely. Some students cannot cope with a work and class work and neglect one at the expense of the other. In such a scenario a student might fail in class work due to lack of concentration which might result from long working hours even though states regulate the number of hours students can work.
The work schedule might conflict with the school timetable hence a students might be forced to skip some classes. Moreover, students may fail to engage in activities like sports, which require time in practice, and maybe they are good in a certain sport, which may earn them a study scholarship and give them an opportunity to further their education.
Lack time for the family
The working hours might eat into family time. Students may spend every free time they have including the weekends away on work and miss family activities. This is not healthy because people need to spend time together to build strong relationships. Parents who are busy at work most of the time do not get a chance to interact with their children too.
Conclusion
Finally, students should be allowed to work throughout high school because they get to learn a great deal about the real life. As long as a student can balance, their work and academics then they should be allowed to work. Working does students more good than harm and their parents should guide them in picking jobs that will help them in bettering their line of chosen careers. Will not only the students make an extra coin, but also learn to become responsible citizens and good members of their community in the future.
Reference List
Anderson, S. & Murphy, N. (1999). Mandatory Community Service: Citizenship Education or Involuntary Servitude? Retrieved from ://www.ecs.org/html/Document.asp?chouseid=1426