We live in an era where the financial crisis of the world has forced most families into bankruptcy and ruin. Money has become very tight for most families these days that parents are sometimes unable to provide for their children’s needs, never mind their caprices. For most of these children, going to college will become a dream if they are unable to find a way to help their parents save for their college education fund. These children, who are driven by their ambition and dreams of a brighter future, are those who are often seen manning the grocery store check-out lines, flipping burgers, and becoming online entrepreneurs. They are the high school students who think nothing of working throughout high school to achieve a bigger financial payoff in their lives down the road. They are the students who see the value of working after classes throughout high school.
By allowing a teenager to work throughout his high school years, the parent will also provide the child with an independent scenario wherein the young man or woman will be encouraged to develop his or her worth ethic which includes social skills, attitude when it comes to accepting orders and instructions, and particular work-related habits which eventually translates into a successful adult working life transition. Some of the personal development areas of a high school student which are developed over time as they work throughout high school are their time management abilities, ability to work within tight deadlines, instruction comprehension and execution, problem-solving skills, interpersonal communication, and most importantly — leadership skills slowly develop and get honed as they learn to work with or lead work-related teams towards successful project completions.
Contrary to what most parents may think, working after school in high school is not an activity that is detrimental to their personal and social development. Instead, it helps them lay the foundation for their potential future career. By relating their after-school jobs to their future ambitions, they are offered a glimpse into the professional life of their choice. For instance, a student who has the ambition of becoming a journalist can get a job at the local newspaper. By doing so, the student will be given a chance to see how a newspaper journalist and a newspaper work. Thus allowing the student to contemplate and decide as to whether the career they had originally chosen is truly for them. Working after school hours throughout high school will therefore allow them to try as many future career opportunities as they wish without being pigeonholed into exposure with only one particular area of expertise.
Although regularly working after high school classes can take away from the personal time of the young adult, the extra-curricular activities they are exposed to within the workplace more than makes up for any time or experiences they may have missed out on with their friends. This is because the working student is forced to become more responsible for his actions via proper time management. The time of the student is now responsibly divided between his work and school commitments, thus creating a more well-rounded and responsible individual who embodies the professional adult worker of the future.
As I mentioned earlier, some families are forced to allow their high school-aged children to work throughout high school because of the financial situation of their family. By helping the family earn an income, they come to realize that the value of the dollar is not something that is easily come by. They become more conscious of how they spend the money they earn and become wise shoppers. This lesson comes from the fact that they now earn the money that they spend on themselves. Thus opening their eyes to the fact that trivial expenses such as gadgets and other luxury items have an equivalent number of work hours before they can earn the money necessary for them to do each such thing. They become more discriminating shoppers and more responsible buyers who opt for quality and longevity over fads and trends.
Basically, by allowing high school students to work throughout their high school years, they will become much more well-rounded individuals who learn how to deal with real-life because they have to live real life sans the protection and shelter of their parents. Learning how to balance their time and money makes them more fiscally responsible individuals who insure their futures before anything else than being considered an extravagance in their lives.
More importantly, a high school student who worked throughout high school will have built up an impressive part-time work resume and life experience that are oftentimes highly considered by college and university admissions committees. These collections of work-related experiences show them the personality of the individual applying for admission to their educational institutions and offer them an opportunity to consider whether the student will be an asset to their educational roster.
Works Cited
“Considerations For High School Students Working After School.” Helium. n.d. Web.
“Work Experience Options For High School Students”. America’s Career Resource Network. n.d.