The Visor

Good work ethic begins young

December 7, 2009

Lindsay Huth

On Saturdays, some people relax, sleep in and hang out with their friends. Many students, however, are hard at work at their part-time jobs instead.

“It takes a lot of time out of my day,” said sophomore Molly Carson, who works at McDonald’s.

Though many students only work weekends, jobs still require them to put forth a good deal of effort and often use their time wisely.

“Sometimes you have to have a lot of dedication to it and you don’t get to do a lot of things,” sophomore employee at Paradise Golf Course Casey Hodgkiss said.

Even so, students are warned not to become too dedicated to their jobs and put them before other priorities.

“I think my biggest concern is when kids start working too many hours and the job becomes their life instead of high school,” counselor Katie Haubert said. “I would limit it to 15 hours a week.”

Despite the hard work, jobs can have many positive results that affect current high school life as well as reach into college and beyond.

“They develop self-confidence and job skills, and you get a sense of what the world of work is like,” Haubert said. “You get a lot of connections in terms of recommendations.”

Some student workers appreciate the numerous benefits that come from hard work and dedication.

“You get money and learn responsibility,” Hodgkiss said.

In fact, money proves to be an important benefit to having a job and can be very useful to high school kids.

“Normally, I spend it [my money] for presents for my sister or my mom,” Hodgkiss said.

Still, others are stashing their cash to save up for more expensive purchases.

“I’m saving up for a car,” Carson said.

Overall, jobs and money can have both beneficial effects and negative consequences.

“I think kids learn a lot of good skills and self confidence,” Haubert said.

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