By Kyle Schatz
Student employment rate is at the highest it has been since 2009, with approximately 37 percent of high school students currently working. There are plenty of reasons why students don’t have jobs, but the most common reason is that it interferes with school. Many students believe that if they get a job, it will take away the time they need for schoolwork once they get home. Although having a job can take up most of or the entire day after school, experts claim that students with jobs do better in school than those who don’t have one if they are working less than 20 hours a week.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, having a job helps students develop different skills that directly help them with school, such as better time management, and managing greater responsibility. When students take AP classes, job experience can help them do better in those classes because they know the importance of getting their work done in a quick but effective manner. “The skills I have picked up from working in a restaurant help me with school as I have learned how to work better under pressure or a timed environment which has helped me with my more challenging classes.” said a student at Ponte Vedra High School.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that students who work under 20 hours a week compared to students who don’t work at all have on average a gpa 0.2 points higher. However, if a student works over 20 hours a week, studies show that students without a job have a better gpa. At Ponte Vedra High School out of 60 students interviewed 33 have jobs. Out of the 33 students with jobs, the most common jobs that these students had were in restaurants. They all work less than 20 hours a week during the school year and have an average gpa of 4.17. The 27 students without jobs have an average gpa of 3.84. Students with jobs say that they learn the importance of managing their time properly, and that having more responsibilities at work helps them be more responsible with their schoolwork.
Although having a job as a high schooler can be a lot of work and take time away from doing schoolwork, research supports that when students have jobs, they get better grades.
Graphic by Philip Berkwit
