Working nine to five. Paying bills. Buying a house. Staying organized. These are all things people associate with the overwhelming concept of being an adult. Even though the idea of independence is scary, many teenagers take the first bite out of adulthood by getting their first job. 

    Working as a high schooler offers many benefits such as building work ethic, extra money, and a chance to dip their toes into what the real world is like after earning their diploma. Even though adding more to the workload of high school can be stressful, the life skills teens acquire from employment are too great to ignore. 

    The first thing people stress about in a new environment is how they are going to react to it. New can most definitely be challenging, but once adjusted many teens come to enjoy the aspects of responsibility.

    “I work at Runza and if I work around 10-14 hours a week, it’s easy for me to balance both school and work,” Papillion-LaVista Sophomore Rachel Haworth said.  

  Not only does employment teach teens about organization and life balance, it also is a great way for some to practice stress management when in busy situations. 

  “Over the summer I worked around 40 hours a week and served around 300 customers a day at my job,” Sophomore Emily Briggs said, “We were so busy, but I love my job.” 

  Another aspect of working and school is time management, and it gives teens a chance to practice multitasking and learning to make the most out of the time they are given. 

  “It’s harder to be successful in school with my job and I sometimes don’t start my homework until 8:30 at night, so I have to be really good at making the most of my time.” 

  Even though a job comes with struggles and makes priorities, like school, a little more challenging, Most students say that holding a job is worth the time it takes up.

“Even though school is harder, having my job is definitely worth it,” Haworth said. “It gives me something to do after school since I’m not in sports, and the money is a nice bonus.” 

  And while employment keeps teenagers busy, and sometimes stressed, most high schoolers end up loving the atmosphere of their job, and most of the time it ends up being a fun but productive activity. 

  “I love the environment of my job,” Briggs said. “It’s very family oriented and I love my co-workers.”

   Most businesses aim to point teenagers in a direction of success for any field they want to work in, and try to create good relationships with their employees. 

 “My job is really great about following availability, and allowing me to work only the hours I am able to,” Briggs said, “So really the only stress I have is the stress I put on myself.”

  All in all, holding a job as a teenager offers so many benefits not only for the business, but for teenagers themselves. And While High School is a great way to set young adults up for success, sometimes the only way to learn how to swim is to dive right into the deep end.