Being a student while simultaneously working a part-time job can be stressful. Teenagers can often have difficulty balancing work, school, while also having a social life.

Being a high school student is already a job of its own, but some students at Wayne Hills High School have decided to challenge themselves by taking on a real job. Being able to have your own source of income is one of the many reasons why students take on part-time jobs after school. There are a large variety of lines of work that students do after school–some work as delivery drivers while others bake and ice cakes. 

With seniors enduring many responsibilities such as filling their college applications, doing homework/completing assignments, etc. finding a happy medium between school, work, and fun can be a major struggle. “It gets difficult to balance school and work because I come home late from work tired, it’s hard to continue to do my school work. School mentally drains me and work physically so obviously I’m going to be exhausted coming home after a long day”. Said Senior Ali Mansuroglu .

Those who have a part-time job need to reduce their work hours as a result of the decrease in free time.  Therefore, they will also not be making as much money. Mansuroglu said, “Work has definitely changed for me since schools started, my hours have decreased due to being in school most of the day and I haven’t been making as much money as I was in the summer”.

However, those who are in the work program get a little more room to play with since they get out of school earlier.

“I like having a part-time job, sometimes it makes it a little harder to do everything in one day including homework but overall it’s nice, you get to make money while also going to school. I work at Gencarelli’s bakery in Wayne and I’ve been there for almost a year now. With this program, I’m able to do earlier shifts later in the day to do extracurricular and homework,” senior George Sayegh said.

On the other hand, senior Michael Campigotto argues that working a part-time job has not had an effect on his ability to do school work. Campigotto has worked at the pretzel factory for a little over 3 months and works from 12 to 15 hours a week. He said, “I don’t think working a part-time job has made an effect on my grades”. 

If you are looking to be employed for a part-time job, be aware that for some students it could be a detriment to your time, and finding a balance could be a struggle, but for others, it can be a great way to make money.