Pros Vs Cons of Teen Jobs
This photo depicts what the work permit looks like.
October 20, 2022
To get a job or not, Rams..that is the question. Having a job as a teenager can create multiple different facets. Some believe it can be a productive way for students to spend their time, while others believe it will only impede their progress.
Although some may argue that a job distracts one from their extracurricular activities and may make them lose touch of what’s more important, I believe that if you manage time well and keep a strict schedule, it will not be an issue. If handled correctly, having a job can provide teens with a new source of income and help them to pick up many important life skills. This is a crucial part in growing up and facing new responsibilities. As teenagers, we often want things that are unnecessary and having our own income can allow us to purchase these materials or experiences without relying on our parents.
According to The Benefits and Risks of Adolescent Employment, “Most parents like the idea of their children working, as they think that employment instills a whole array of positive traits, including independence, responsibility, interpersonal skills, and a good work ethic.”
This is not the case for all. My father’s philosophy is that if he can financially support me himself, there should be no need for me to focus on anything other than school. While I can understand where he is coming from, I think that every teenager should give it a try. I am aware that this financial stability is not available for all, but not having this stability can build another source of motivation in getting a job. “I think having a job in high school is a great experience and is especially helpful when applying for colleges,” said Millikan’s resident College Advisor, Adriana Juarez. If not a job, any kind of volunteering or internship can also be a great opportunity to learn new skills that will later be applied to life.
After randomly selecting 20 students of all different grades during lunch time near the quad, 14 did not have a job and 6 did. A QUEST junior who would prefer to stay anonymous thinks that only upperclassmen should have a job. “Freshman and Sophomores should be more focused on school and have fun,” they added.
If you are interested in getting a job and think it is the right choice for you, click here for the work permit link.
Kylan Harvey • Nov 22, 2022 at 6:26 pm
On October 20, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “ Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs”. The article mentions that if you have a set schedule, having a job can be found as easy, it also says how having a job can be a life skill, the article gives an example on a life skill having a job as a teen can be and thats learning to be responsible. The author speaks on how having a job also Before reading this article I only wanted a job for the money, but I now want a job because I want to learn to have more responsibility, accountability, and also time management. The article gives reliable evidence and cites her sources very well so I’m able to trust her work. When the author was giving an example like what her parents said, I could agree with it, my parents could financially support me and I shouldn’t get a job. Luckily for me over the past few months I was able to convince them to let me get a job once I turned 16. Before reading this article I understood that student wanted jobs but after hearing more than one of the benefits I can completely agree that it would be a smart idea, but I also agree with the student who said you should be able to get a job once youre in eleventh and twelfth grade, so you can focus on school and enjoy your time in high school. Thank you for opening my eyes on getting a job as a teen.
Isabella Torres • Nov 17, 2022 at 9:43 am
The author mentions various reasons as to why teen jobs are a good thing. For example, jobs can provide teens with a new source of income and can help them learn skills that will be useful to them in the future. The author mentions how with this income, we can buy things that we want with our own money. I really like how Garcia sources another reliable text. It mentions how teen jobs can teach teens about responsibility, independence and good work ethic. Not only does Garcia mention these positive things about teen jobs, but she also includes the cons, which I find very useful since there are always two sides to every story. She mentions how teen jobs can distract us from school and other extracurricular activities and that they are not needed in high school. I find this article very interesting because I myself have a job. I work at Baskin Robbins and in my opinion, having a job is not as hard as it seems. Although I do work during school days, I still am able to manage my time and get all my homework done. I still have good grades and am able to have fun. While reading this article I do wish that there was a quote from a student who has a job so they can say what it’s like and how difficult or easy it is to manage work, academics, and social life.
Brandon LaFleur • Oct 25, 2022 at 12:50 pm
On October 20th, Arianna Garcia wrote an article called “Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs.” The essay explores the competing arguments for and against teens working outside of school. I appreciate you blogging about this subject because I’m a student myself. Garcia mentions two reasons why working as a teen is motivating (provides income and fosters the development of life skills). Without a reliable and steady source of income, it can be tough for us teens to buy what we want materialistically. This problem would be lessened by working, which would also give you extra money for later in life. Jobs can provide kids with a reliable source of cash as well as life lessons that they would not be able to learn otherwise. Garcia may have, for instance, discussed how working in the public sector aids in the development of both critical thinking and interpersonal skills in students. She also mentions how some parents genuinely encourage their adolescent children to get employment, which I can completely relate to. My parents have been very proud of my job as audio in stage crew at Millikan High school, which has in turn provided me with many life lessons that I wouldn’t have learned otherwise. Thank you for going into further depth on this.
Ryan Worden • Oct 25, 2022 at 10:45 am
On October 20, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs” The article mentions the pros and the cons of getting a job as a high school student. I found this article rather interesting, as I have been debating this issue myself. While I had pondered about both sides before, it was nice to see it all written down clearly. The philosophy that your father shared about you not needing a job if he can financially support you, is one that my father shares as well. On top of that, my father adds that he would rather me focus solely on my academics and extracurriculars and succeed in those than worry about a job. I understand and appreciate where he is coming from, but just as this article states, having and holding down a job could be just as beneficial to getting into college and then having experience in the workforce as well. The way this article was organized layed out both sides of the argument very well and have helped me to make my decision as to whether I should get a job, apply for an internship, or volunteer. I appreciated the thoughts of the anonymous student as well as the link to get a work permit. Another pro that you could add to this article may be that if someone gets a job in high school at a national corporation before going to college, there may be an option of transferring to another location to work near the college that you are going to. For example, if you worked at the Starbucks near our school, when you go to college, you may be able to transfer to a Starbucks near your college, which would limit the stress of finding a new job if you needed one. Thank you for laying out this argument well and providing me insight for my decision.
Alexis Hooper • Oct 24, 2022 at 8:17 am
On October 20, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “Pros Vs. Cons of Teen Jobs” The article discusses the debate on whether or not teens, high school students, in particular, should try to get a job. While reading this article, I noticed that you’ve addressed mainly the positive effects of getting a job. I believe that if you are applying yourself to a job opportunity that fits your passions, it will feel like you’re not even working. As somebody who has been a teen volunteer for a local park, I can tell you that even though I was devoting hundreds of hours to this park, it was the best time of my life because I genuinely enjoyed helping kids. Another idea that stood out to me was when you said as long as you manage your time wisely, you should be able to balance school and work. As a competitive gymnast and competitive dancer, I can not explain how hard some nights have been trying to get work from certain classes done. Even though I may procrastinate from time to time, I’ve definitely gotten better at time management, which has benefited my mental health in the long run. Despite all of the positives that can come from getting a job, I feel like there are also some negatives to take note of. For instance, there are a lot of people who have jobs that occupy a lot of their time and they end up taking on so much. With the new California school start time, we know that schools are now getting out an hour later compared to the previous years. One hour may not seem like the biggest portion of time, but this little difference has led to major impacts on many teens. I know this one girl in my class who got a job at a restaurant and as a result, she is slowly leaning towards an unhealthy sleep schedule. It is also important to note that while some parents are lenient with their kids having a job, others force their children to get a job, which can cause additional stress. Without considering the stress that some students go through with taking AP or honors classes, it is devastating to know that people are developing mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression at such a young age. Overall, I think that there could’ve been more cons showcased in the article to prove that getting a job might not be all sunshine and rainbows. Regardless, the article had very good evidence of the potential impacts on teens applying for a job. Thank you so much for talking about this subject because I know many teens would appreciate opinions on these kinds of situations!
Alissey Fang • Oct 21, 2022 at 2:01 pm
On October 20, Ariana Garcia wrote an article titled “Pros and Cons of teen Jobs”. The article speaks on the different opinions people have regarding teenagers getting a job in high school and whether they are good or bad. Before reading this article, I knew people had mixed feelings about the topic but didn’t necessarily understand why people felt the way they felt. The article makes it very clear as Garcia gathered information from people and how they perceive the situation, some parents said they didn’t see the need for a job when they can financially support their children while others thought jobs are a great idea as they teach responsibility and other essential tools for success in the future. In the article, Garcia highlights the good and the bad, some said jobs were a distraction from school and extracurriculars while others said it would help with time management. I see both sides of the table and believe there should be a balance. I think if your grades are good and you are performing well in activities you participate in, then a job sounds like a great idea. However, if you’re failing most of your classes or struggling with something it might be best to hold off on getting a job, with that being said my concern is if jobs are up to date with their teenage employs, it should be important to them how their teens are doing outside of the workplace and now wonder if any businesses do this. With that being said I thank you for expanding my knowledge on this topic and hope to possibly see a continuation on how business owners feel about hiring teens and what they do to support them.
Adrian Cheong • Oct 21, 2022 at 2:00 pm
On October 20, 2022, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs”. The article talks about how beneficial getting a job in high school really is. I fully agree with the points made in the article, that not only does getting a job look good for college and help with providing some sort of income, but also provides crucial skills and introduces teenagers to a new “adult” life with independence and responsibility. Although getting a job provides many positive benefits and traits, I stand with the QUEST junior who was interviewed, and believe that students should focus on school work and getting good grades at first. Once they have a good feel of high school and can manage time correctly, they can get a job in the upper grades, once they are more responsible and mature. When I was a sophomore last year, I had the opportunity to get a job during the school year. Despite the opportunity, I declined and realized getting a job would take away from my leisure time away from school and increase my already difficult year. As a junior now, I have a job and am able to manage my time, get good grades and still have my own leisure time, which is why I think working jobs should remain for the older and more mature students. Thank you for covering such a relatable topic.
Camila Hernandez • Oct 21, 2022 at 1:58 pm
On October 20, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs”. I like how personal opinions were added to the article through the interview questions. It is also great how financial stability was brought up since everybody is in a different situation, but I don’t believe that not having financial stability gives people extra motivation to get a job. I don’t think they really have a choice. If they’re in that situation they’ll have to get a job even if they don’t want to. The pros presented in the article are very important to note since teenagers should get a look into the adult world and have some sort of prior experience in it so they won’t be completely lost when they become independent. However, the cons should also be taken into consideration. If you don’t need a job, don’t pressure yourself to get one because you might, as the article mentioned, “lose touch of what’s more important”. Lastly, I want to say that I agree with what was mentioned in the second to last paragraph about freshman and sophomores being more focused on school and having fun. It is important to enjoy your adolescence. It is not necessary to jump straight into bigger responsibilities such as having a job.
Amelia Guzman • Oct 21, 2022 at 11:45 am
On October 20, Arianna Garcia published the article “Pros Vs. Cons of Teen Jobs.” The article regards the varying situations one may be in when considering if a job would be beneficial for them or not. Some people are not required to get a job as soon as they can and others have to support themselves and their family. Recently turning sixteen, I am now allowed to apply for a job to make my own source of income. This article is incredibly relevant to my current conflict of deciding whether I can handle a part-time job or not. I believe it is important to gather the experiences others have had in their work spaces. A future article that can act as a sequel to this one can be how to maintain your safety in different jobs commonly available to teenagers or suggestions on how to manage your time to ensure that a student is successful both in school and at work. I truly find it awesome that people coming of age, like Arianna who is currently 15, are becoming aware of the activities they can participate in and their consequences. We are in the years of trial and error and finding what works best for you will be a useful asset for the future.
Jacquelynn Gutierrez • Oct 21, 2022 at 10:09 am
On October 20, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs”. The article talks about teen employment and all the factors to consider. I believe this article is incredibly useful considering the target audience are the students of this school. It’s especially effective considering how the article explains both a positive and negative viewpoint with teenagers in employment. This mix of different viewpoints provides authenticity for readers and works to discard a bias that pushes teens into seeking a job without considering all the factors. Although I do not have personal experience with balancing a job and school, therefore I do wonder how many employed teens would recommend having a job as opposed to not having one, and how does the answer to this vary with someone’s situation? Would a certain pathway recommend a job over another? I understand that many teens do not have the privilege to decide whether or not to have a job so I also wonder how their experiences are like trying to balance these aspects of their lives, would they still seek employment if they had the privilege to choose? Furthermore, I feel like these perspectives would have definitely strengthened the article in providing more well-rounded factors for teens considering employment to consider. Thank you for the educational article and for bringing awareness to this subject!
John Pok • Oct 21, 2022 at 10:00 am
On October 20, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs.” The article dives into the debate of whether or not teeneagers should have a job, providing reasons to support both sides of the argument. I found this article particularly interesting because of how relatable it was to my (and many others’) current life. As the year goes on, I’m regularly debating with myself about whether or not I should get a job. I especially appreciated the great points mentioned within the article—the desire for a source of income, a decrease in parental reliance, and the ability to purchase what you want, are all especially applicable to teenagers of high school age. As someone who has parents on the opposite end of the spectrum, it was nice to see your inclusion of quotes from both the paper “The Benefits and Risks of Adolescent Employment” and Millikan’s resident College Advisor herself. The quotes are not only insightful pieces of evidence, but are also credible sources of advice. Personally, I know I will be bringing up this evidence when I next discuss this topic with my parents, and hopefully it will persuade them towards my side of the debate. The addition of the work permit link is also a nice touch, as these documents often get lost in the realm of school websites and endless emails. This article was not only a great read, but an especially relatable one.
Anandi • Oct 21, 2022 at 9:59 am
On October 20, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “Pros and Cons of Teen Jobs”” The article mentions that students should start looking for employment opportunities. Prior to this article, I worked in a soft serve kiosk for a couple of months, and I can thoroughly agree with the points written in this article. Such as how a job could be the perfect source of income for students and streams independence skills that are a basis for future jobs. The inclusion of how numerous parents are encouraging their students to look for a job was the perfect touch, because for many finding a job can either be for employment skill gain or financial support. I feel there many need to be more cons included only to strengthen your claim that employment encourages scholarly behavior. The statistics given through the randomly selected students showed how maybe age and grade play a factor in when students begin job searches. Using a credible source Millikan’s resident College Advisor, Adriana Juarez’s quote “I think having a job in high school is a great experience and is especially helpful when applying for colleges,” created a good closure to prove how heavily encouraged employment is among high school students due to the experiences and skills gained through working in a work environment.
Chris Benitez • Oct 21, 2022 at 9:37 am
On October 20th, Arianna Garcia wrote an article named “Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs”. The article tackles the conversation questioning whether students should have jobs. I personally have a job and I found that it required me to get a schedule and stop being lazy, similar to what she stated in the article. It caused me to work on my conversation skills and work with people through issues. It granted me a sense of independence that I haven’t really felt before it. Seeing the paycheck come in for the first time is a surreal experience that I think all teenagers should feel at some point in their young lives. I think a lot of teenagers say to themselves that they don’t have time and are too stressed but, most of them go home, procrastinate their homework, and sit on TikTok until 10 pm and realize that they have to do homework. Having a job almost forces you to be on top of your work and not to be lazing about. Furthermore, having a job helps students prepare for the real world. As a junior I’ve only got one more year left in school then I’m pushed into the real world. I believe having a job sooner helped me not get slammed in the face with reality because I was able to dip my toes in the water a bit. Overall, I love the approach taken to the article and its points are really important for many teenagers to hear but only if they are ready for it.
Christopher Ramirez • Oct 20, 2022 at 2:00 pm
On October 20, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs”. The article mentions the pros and cons of a teen getting a job and provides relatable situations that cohere and contradict the choice between getting a job and not, as a teen. I personally am looking to get a job if not this summer before I become a senior, or next year when I am a senior. This article helped me decide whether it’s a good idea or bad to get a job and also showed me that I am not alone. Others are also determining whether they will get one and have specific situations whether they are bad or good motivation and holding them back from getting a job as a teen. In the article Garcia also stated the words of a student on how teens should wait until their junior and senior years to get a job and just live life and have fun there younger years. I do agree with this because although you can obtain good skills and life experience while doing a job as a teen and become more prepared growing up, you also shouldn’t rush growing up. Recently I have been getting the “late night, deep mental thoughts,” and one of them being “why did I always want to rush to grow up.” Now that I think of it, being a kid was awesome. Being to live life with no cares in the world is awesome and growing up requires that responsibility and control. That is why I agree with that statement: upperclassmen are the students that should be the ones getting jobs if possible. Overall there are pros and cons to getting a job as a teen but ultimately it does depend on the situation you are in. So when deciding, make sure to think thoroughly first and also maybe take a look at this article to get a little taste of the ideas.
Alexis Hooper • Oct 20, 2022 at 1:55 pm
On October 20, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “Pros Vs. Cons of Teen Jobs” The article discusses the debate on whether or not teens, high school students in particular, should try to get a job. While reading this article, I noticed that you’ve addressed mainly the positive effects of getting a job. I believe that if you are applying yourself to a job opportunity that fits your passions, it will feel like you’re not even working. As somebody who has been a teen volunteer for a local park, I can tell you that even though I was devoting hundreds of hours to this park, it was the best time of my life because I genuinely enjoyed helping kids. Another idea that stood out to me was when you said as long as you manage your time wisely, you should be able to balance school and work. As a competitive gymnast and competitive dancer, I can not explain how hard some nights have been trying to get work from certain classes done. Even though I may procrastinate from time to time, I’ve definitely gotten better at time management, which has benefited my mental health in the long run. Despite all of the positives that can come from getting a job, I feel like there are also some negatives to take note of. For instance, there are a lot of people who have jobs that occupy a lot of their time and they end up taking on so much. With the new California school start time, we know that schools are now getting out an hour later compared to the previous years. One hour may not seem like the biggest portion of time, but this little difference has led to major impacts on many teens. I know this one girl in my class who got a job at a restaurant and as a result, she is slowly leaning towards an unhealthy sleep schedule. It is also important to note that while some parents are lenient with their kids having a job, others force their children to get a job, which can cause additional stress. Without considering the stress that some students go through with taking AP or honors classes, it is devastating to know that people are developing mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression at such a young age. Overall, I think that there could’ve been more cons showcased in the article to prove that getting a job might not be all sunshine and rainbows. Regardless, the article had very good evidence on the potential impacts on teens applying for a job. Thank you so much for talking about this subject because I know many teens would appreciate opinions on these kinds of situations.
Carter Kopelakis • Oct 20, 2022 at 1:53 pm
On October 20, Arianna Garcia wrote an article titled “Pros vs. Cons of Teen Jobs”. The article mentions how some people are in favor of Teenagers having jobs and some were against Teenagers having jobs. On a personal note I do currently have a job and I am still able to balance playing a very time consuming sport and a social life, so I definitely think that it is possible to have a job as a teen that doesn’t consume all their time. In the article she talks about how an interview was conducted of 20 random students during lunch time near the quad and 14 students said they didn’t have a job and 6 said they did. An anonymous student who was interviewed said “ only upperclassmen should have a job, freshman and sophomore should focus on school”. Why is it that there is a higher population of students without jobs than students with jobs? I also noticed while reading that a lot of parents are on board with their kids getting a job, so they don’t have to pay for everything. While not every person has that opportunity my parents felt the same way for me getting a job. Thank you for providing an outlook on teenagers getting jobs.
Luke Demorest • Oct 20, 2022 at 1:41 pm
On October 20, 2022 Arianna Garcia wrote an article called “Pros. Vs. Cons of Teen Jobs”. The article mentions multiple benefits and disadvantages of teens at our school getting a job. The article has numerous well-thought out points for students to consider when thinking about working. A very good point that the author makes is when Garcia quotes the College Advisor, Adriana Juarez, describing how getting a job while in high school can help you when applying for colleges. I know when applying for colleges you want to do the most you can to get in, so another thing to improve those odds is very helpful to know. I also think that getting a job as a teen can be helpful because you can learn how to work while under proper guidance of parents and guardians, instead of being thrown into it for the first time in/after college. I found it interesting how out of 20 students only 6 of them had jobs. I also wonder what grade those 6 who had jobs were in, and what they do for work. I’m curious whether these jobs are tedious and time consuming or very easy to do? All in all the article is very good at informing students in their decision on whether to work or not.
Devlyn Mahan • Oct 20, 2022 at 1:35 pm
On October 20th, 2022, Arianna Garcia, your staff reporter wrote about “Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs” which offers a multitude of solid points for students attempting to find employment. Prior to reading the article, I had been trying and continuously failing at trying to get an afterschool job here in Long Beach, even though I got experience and worked all summer outside of state! Going through the trials and tribulations of getting a work permit and putting the effort in getting myself out there made me realize not only the maturity of the job search, but the heart wrenching frustration of it as well! I would like to agree with what the staff reporter wrote, explaining how many parents would like their children to work, firsthand my mom has been on my side in my job search, and equally as frustrated. Unfortunately, the vast majority of High-Schoolers may be unreliable to work or may not want to work, but the difficulty to find employment when you do want to work and have the motivation to is also immensely strenuous. Personally, I know of the many opportunities that our school offers to students to try and help them get jobs and find work, but I find it hard to find malleable work on my terms through there. I am overall concerned that the tone of this article makes the solo job search seem like an achievable thing for all, when on the flip side for me it was a frustrating experience that went down in flames.
Tanner Henderson • Oct 20, 2022 at 11:58 am
Dear Corydon Editor,
On October 10th, Arianna Garcia wrote an article entitled “Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs.” The article discusses the opposing viewpoints of teenagers having a job outside of school. As a student myself attempting to get a job, I appreciate you for writing about this topic. Garcia makes note of the motivators for working as a teenager (source of income, helps develop life skills), which are both things I hope to obtain after getting a job. As teenagers, it’s difficult to obtain all the material things we want without a steady sense of income. Having a job would help lessen this issue while also providing extra money that could be used later in life. Along with a steady source of income, jobs are able to give teenagers life lessons that they may not be able to obtain without one. For example, Garcia could have mentioned how working in public service helps students develop people skills as well as critical thinking. She also notes how some parents actually influence their teenagers to get jobs, which I can fully relate to. The minute I turned 16 my parents have been bombarding me to go apply. Thank you for discussing this topic in greater detail.
Chazz Brown • Oct 20, 2022 at 11:57 am
October 20, 2022
Dear Corydon Editor,
On October 20, 2022, Arianna Garcia wrote an article “Pros. Vs Cons of Teen Jobs”. This article addresses the positive side of having a job as a teen including developing independence, time management, and work ethic. It also mentions the negatives of having a job as a teen including the fact it may be too much responsibility for a teenager managing work and school. I agree with both of these perspectives. I feel there are a variety of reasons why teens need or want a job. Some teens need a job to save for college or other financial needs while others just want a job to have their own money and rely less on their parents. Like Garcia mentioned when she states “my father’s philosophy is that if he can financially support me himself, there should be no need for me to focus on anything other than school.” My parents use this philosophy for me as well and I think it works effectively. Personally if I were to currently get a job I would have no time for my sport or other activities such as homework. I wouldn’t want to add the extra stress of going to work on my schedule because it is simply too much. However everyone’s day to day life is different and I believe teens can decide for themselves if they should or shouldn’t get a job considering these perspectives.
Sincerely,
Chazz Brown, Grade 11