Help Wanted

Teenagers go through many milestones as they grow up, from celebrating birthdays, facing academic endeavors, finding their identity, and exploring relationships. Your teenage years are full of opportunities that prepare you for adulthood.
Getting a job is not a necessary task for all teenagers to take on, though the benefits are invaluable as one dips their toe into adulthood. Working can help you learn how to make smart decisions with your money, be financially educated, and gain work and people experience.
A job opens the doors to meet new people, whom you would learn from and adapt with as you work with them.
Ameenah Lawrence, a junior at UACHS, shares why she wanted to start working at Dairy Queen.
“I wanted to be financially independent from my parents for things other than necessities,” said Lawrence.
As companies hang their “We are now hiring!” signs to attract new workers, they mostly attract teens who just want extra pocket change. Companies may want to hire teens due to their flexible schedules and work ethic.
Being a teenager in high school and having a job on top of that may make you feel as though you’re splitting yourself into three. As you are still learning, developing, and feeling a bunch of different emotions, having a job added onto that whirlpool can make a teen more stressed.
Erika Blythe, another junior employee at UACHS, believes as well that being a teenager is a work-in-progress.
“As a teenager, you’re between being a child and an adult, we have to learn to navigate on our own. There’s a lot of emotional stuff as a teenager and it’s hard,” said Blythe.
Nevertheless, a part time job is more than a paycheck for students– it teaches them responsibility, time management, and can reinforce what they are learning in school. It teaches you real life skills that are essential for adulthood.
Doing everything at once can be stressful. Everything tends to become more manageable when you organize your priorities. Try to be mindful of your responsibilities and duties, and listen to your friends or family around you. Having to juggle multiple responsibilities is difficult but also incredibly rewarding. Looking back at your life, you will be proud of the choices that you made in high school and not regret anything.