Many high school students have part–time jobs, whether it be to support the needs of their families or their own. Initially, it may seem like a good idea to get a job in order to drown oneself in mounds of food, clothes and necessities. What these students end up learning, however, is that having a job is not an easy task, especially when our main job as students is to focus on schoolwork.

Not only can it be difficult to handle staying up late in order to get all homework done, but add in work outside of school and students will end up with an impossibly full schedule. If a student does have a job, they should be getting all of their homework and studying done during every hour and break they have available.

The thing is, students usually never use their free time to work on anything productive. A student’s first priority should be school, so if their schedule is already too hectic, adding a part–time job might not be the greatest idea.

“Sometimes a student’s grades can be affected only because they do not know how to manage their time and are unable to find a balance [between work and school],” Business Education teacher Karen Roberts said. “Grades can start to slip when people work around 40 hours a week, and I think it’s best to compensate by working mostly on the weekends.”

Although jobs can be extremely beneficial for students, as they do teach communication skills and provide necessary experience, they should not be the main focus of a student’s life during his or her high school years. Instead, students need to make their first priorities school work.

Every person is different when it comes to managing their schedule, so it is ultimately up to each individual to decide whether or not getting a job is a good idea. If a student is stressed already from the overwhelming amount of homework every day, as many are, a job is not a responsibility he or she needs. It’s difficult to handle the balance of schoolwork and pressures from part–time jobs, so leave your after–school schedules open for a student’s main job: being a student.