Should Students Have A Job Throughout High School?

A key high point in the transition from child to adult is the ability of a person to become self sufficient. Responsibility is not only something that is taught, but it is something that is learned over time. As one grows from child to adult, they acquire the skills and knowledge to become successful and thriving adults of the world. While these skills can simply be taught through the school system or passed down by parents, having a job at a young age also helps to make a profitable future. Students should have a job throughout high school because working offers a variety of opportunities and learning experiences that cannot simply be learned from a text book. A job is a responsibility; more specifically, a job is not something that can

While this can be proved with statistics or reasoning, a current events article published by “Weekly Reader” demands that “working after school is not the only teen activity that can occupy more than 20 hours a week”. As students have the ability to participate in highly stressful academic clubs such as Student Government or National Honor Society, “why should working, which can benefit teens, be limited by law and not these other activities” (“Are Teens Working Too Many Hours”). Many jobs in retail or the food industry actually limit the hours worked by young adults, especially of those who are under 18 in order to lend them time to focus on their education. Typically, students have the option to work up to 40 hours a week but states including Maine and Washington have “laws that limit teens under age 18 to a maximum of 20 hours of work per week,” (“Are Teens Working Too Many Hours”). A student will be as productive in school as they choose to be, having a part time job is only a small factor in education simply because most American jobs have flexible hours and offer breaks every few hours for down