Should Students Seek Employment?

Should Students Seek Employment?

( by Suhana Ahmed )

An after-school job is basically employment going parallel with studies. There are many high-school and college students who opt for part-time jobs to help them financially. It is not mandatory, but it can be helpful in many cases. As an answer to the question, “Should teenagers get after-school jobs?”, all that one can say is that it is an individual choice, but they should know about the pros and the cons of working during their student lives. Schools, parents, peers etcetera might have to come forward and discuss this issue to knowledge the teenagers.

Like every coin has two sides, after-school jobs have two sides too. There is always a disadvantage to an advantage posed by something like this. Whereas on one hand, an after-school job can provide a sense of self-dependence, on the other hand, it has the eligibility to hamper the studies. Whether the impact of having a job after-school is positive or negative depends on an individual, their circumstances and their ability. Hence, both the positives and the negatives should be talked about transparently before taking a decision.

One of the most important merits of an after-school job is the self-reliance it brings. Earning for oneself also makes an individual responsible. Even if the person tends to spend the money unnecessarily, they can be taught to handle the finances by any of their guardians. Usually, the ones to choose working during their student lives are the ones who struggle financially, and thus, a job can help them save-up and motivate them to work for their larger goals instead of settling with something they don’t necessarily prefer.

An after-school job not only gives the first taste of financial independence, but it always paves a way for gaining experience in the working field which might be really useful in the full-time jobs they go for later on in their lives, not to forget that experience always helps getting the best jobs. There is a scope for skill development and exposure to the outer world breaks the shell that the children usually are constricted to, and once someone gets out of their box, they get to learn a great amount of things. So, an after-school job can help a teenager deal with the society and express their ideas as well.

When the teenagers have split their day between going to classes and working, they gain the time management skills. Keeping up with their studies, tasks at hand at their work-place, getting time to self-care and a little bit of personal time- this all inherits in them. All in all, they get prepared for the real world out there.

But like mentioned before, there are cons of taking up an after-school job. One might learn to manage the time, but to what extent might it work for everyone? When a job clashes with their studies, there are chances of one of them being neglected- most of the times it is the education. The students don’t get enough time to study; lot less when compared to the students who don’t work. There might remain piles of unfinished assignments or homework pushed until the deadline, or even further. The students might not do exactly well in their examinations.

If the student doesn’t have time for their own academics, then it is least likely that they may get time for themselves. Personal time is a very important aspect of a human being’s life- it helps one grow, relax, take a break and chill, socialize and so many more things. Lack of personal time might affect the person’s physical and mental health leading to anxiousness, stress, anger etcetera. Their sleeping schedule might also get hampered leading to further problems. In a way, an after-school job can take away the best years of their lives.

It is very important to give something like this a lot of thought before going on to take any decision. It is a personal choice, given that the person knows what they are getting themselves into or what they are passing on. An after-school can break the shells surrounding us, but one can never be too sure if the shell was broken at the right time in a right way.

Parents or guardians have the responsibility to prepare their kids for the world, to prepare them so that one day they start making their own decisions and lead their own lives, and though the decision of working during their student years is a personal choice, a little bit of guidance from an experiences always helps. This could be a great way to prepare children for the world, but one needs to be sure that the kids are ready to face it. The only way to prepare them to face their fears is to let them of what they are fearing, let them know of the importance of grabbing an opportunity and the importance of letting it go if it harms them.

Therefore, every teen must think about this, consider if they can manage both their education and jobs together, make sure that their decision doesn’t affect them in a bad way and then choose the best for themselves. That is the first step to independence and self-reliance.

Disclaimer:-

The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Light de Literacy and LDL does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.