LaPlante 1

Madison LaPlante

Mrs. Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 2010

12 April 2019

What are the Impacts on High Schoolers’ Education While Having Part-Time Jobs?

Being hired at a job while still being in high school is no longer uncommon. In fact, over

five million kids under eighteen are working in America (Greenhouse). In addition to this

statistic, “...​teenagers comprise four percent of

the American workforce” (Hirschman). ​This

image to the left depicts the wide variety of

jobs teenagers were employed as of July 2014.

Statistical images such as this one shows the

plethora of options students have in the work

field. With an array of options, the risks posed

for teens increases. The topic of consequences

pertaining to underage workers has been

ongoing for many years. Parents, teachers,

counselors, lawmakers, and teens themselves all have something to add to the subject. The good,

the bad, and the ugly of it all has been brought to the surface with the newest generation.

Part-time jobs have been proven to affect grades, sleep, and mental health. Working has also

been shown teach students: responsibility, independance, and money management. The more

hours accumulated each week correlates to even more negative reactions. The stances people
 LaPlante 2

chose to take on this topic are not black and white, in fact, most people suggest staying in the

gray area of a balanced work life for teens. A “gray” area creates a balanced awareness of the

positive outcomes while still incorporating negatives consequences as well. Those that suggest a

gray area recommend avoiding too many hours and always putting school first.

Along with teaching valuable life skills, “...working [can] enhance youths’ education

rather than detract from it, [and] would better prepare them for the future” (Apel). Having an

after school job gives high school students opportunities that cannot be achieved in a seven hour

school day. Classes are not offered to teach skills in customer service, time management, and no

class can add experience to a resumé. Teenagers learn how to balance work and school life to

better prepare them for college (Holloway). Along with building adult skills, jobs can prevent

kids from getting in trouble with drugs, alcohol, and prohibit sitting around in front of a

television all day. Working can also build social skills and learn to gain confidence in speaking

with authority figures. Likewise, teens learn “...​[how to make] a quick decision or [learn] how to

handle a disgruntled customer” (Pros and Cons). ​ As high school seniors step out into the real

world, having the experience of a job under their belts will ease such a stressful situation of

transitioning into college. Most college students depend on simultaneously working and

attending school, and students that make the decision to work in high school are more equipped

at harmonizing their education and keeping a job. Based on multiple sources and studies, benefits

seen from working in school are present outside of the classroom-- not within. Character

developmental enhancements are shown in working students, along with increased maturity. In

other words, teenagers gain valuable lessons that cannot be taught-- but are achieved through

hands-on experience.
 LaPlante 3

Our federal government made no laws directed towards sixteen and seventeen year olds;

thus state governments are responsible for the child labor laws affecting this age group. In Utah,

for instance, there are no laws whatsoever for kids these ages. Many employers and businesses

depend on their young workers to fill their open part-time positions; making teens vulnerable to

being taken advantage of by their bosses. Employers will acknowledge young teens eagerness to

earn money at their part-time job and increase hours to benefit themselves-- regardless of the

impacts on the teen. Those involved in the debate of young workers argue that having a job is

beneficial, so long as it does not interfere with their schooling. An average school week is

twenty-five hours long, and piling on another thirty hours spent at work leaves little room for

studying, family time, and homework. A strong positive correlation exists between bad grades

and long hours spent at work. The negative consequences does not stop at bad grades, but affects

test scores and overall GPA. In a study, students who worked more than twenty hours a week

had a 0.20 decline in their grade-point average (Holloway). This shows that the more a student

works, the more at risk they are for falling behind in their schoolwork. Higher levels of tardies

and absences are also shown in students working late hours. Tardies and absences are have a

direct effect in students falling behind in their classes. While having a job in high school can be a

great learning experience, teens can easily become wrapped up in working, earning money, and

newly found independence. Though these attributes are not negative, teens will start to put their

education to the side amidst new exciting achievements. As a high schooler begins their job

search, they should examine all of the pros and cons first, as the negatives will sometimes

outweigh the positives.

 LaPlante 4

When given the question, “What are the negative consequences of high schoolers

working?” Jordan Peterson, a retired fifth and sixth grade teacher in the Jordan School District,

had a different response than most researchers and scientists. Throughout her career in education,

Mrs. Peterson experienced many troubled students in her adolescent classes. These ten year olds

were expected to hold responsibilities of taking care of their young siblings, and act as a parental

figure. Peterson explained her ten and eleven year olds had difficulty accomplishing their

homework, not by reason of disinterest, but because their energy was directed into their

demanding home life. She was forced to make accommodations for the students falling behind.

These children are experiencing equally as immense pressure as high schoolers. When asked

about the effect on high schoolers, Peterson’s response was, “Working can take away from

school, and a job becomes more important and school is less of a priority. They lose sight of

what’s important: school.” Peterson discussed her hard students more; saying, “I worked in a

hard area where kids legitimately couldn’t get done with stuff because they had adult

responsibility.” Keeping up with a job can be difficult for students of any age. Kids in these

arduous positions cannot stop taking care of a little brother or sister for homework; likewise high

schoolers cannot pause their education for a job.

Staying away from the black and white areas and heading towards a gray perspective has

been the most respected stance in those participating in the conversation. Most parents and

teachers do not suggest working forty hour work weeks, or no job at all; which is why the idea

of a happy medium has become so popular. Though, this does not mean to ignore all of the

hazards of a job and blindly walk into any workplace. Dangers and consequences have been

made clear and accepted, but the practical reasons for teens being involved at a job must not be
 LaPlante 5

ignored either. Having a job in high school is not always necessary and is typically a choice, but

it prepares them for adult life. Ultimately the decision of having a job in high school should be

up to the high schooler themself. With this statement, parents and teachers can identify when a

job takes over multiple aspects of their life and will interject their advice as they feel is needed.

Whether or not a job has become toxic to a teen will vary depending on their situations.

Although, every teen is in high school for roughly the same amount of hours each week and all

of them are attempting to graduate on time. As more hours at work get piled on, this goal for

teens becomes harder to reach. Nowadays, employers have been open to more leniency towards

their young employers with their school schedules. In conclusion, working in high school is not

always pretty. Many outcomes bubble to the surface-- good and bad. Recommendations for

young employees are with high schoolers best interests in mind. Their “best interest,” is gaining

a high school diploma and setting them up for success. A job can interrupt many aspects of a

teenager’s life-- but it is not always negative. Parents, teachers, counselors should not decide for

the child if they work or not. This choice should be for the teen-- and the teen only.
 LaPlante 6

Works Cited

Apel, Robert, et al. “Using State Child Labor Laws to Identify the Causal Effect of Youth

Employment on Deviant Behavior and Academic Achievement.” ​Journal of Quantitative

Criminology​, vol. 24, no. 4, 2008, pp. 337–362., Web. Apr. 2019

Greenhouse, Steven. “Problems Seen For Teenagers Who Hold Jobs.” ​The New York Times,​ The

New York Times, 29 Jan. 2001, Web. Mar. 29, 2019

Hirschman, Charles, and Irina Voloshin. “The Structure of Teenage Employment: Social

Background and the Jobs Held by High School Seniors.” ​Research in Social

Stratification and Mobility,​ U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Oct. 2007, Web. 10

Apr. 2019

Holloday, John H. “Research Link / Part-Time Work and Student Achievement.” ​Part-Time

Work

and Student Achievement - Educational Leadership​. Web. Mar. 29, 2019

Peterson, Jordan. Personal Interview. 9 Apr. 2019

“Pros and Cons of Teens Working Part-Time.” ​York County Federal Credit Union,​ 4 Oct. 2014,

Web. 12 Apr. 2019

LaPlante 7