There are many students at Erie high school who are working to save up for future expenses such as college, cars and other costs, while this is a good thing it can also be mentally draining and stressful while balancing school life with work life.
A very common experience that people in high school take on is working their first job. With prices on the rise everywhere, kids in high school are highly encouraged to start working. Not only to get the experience but to start saving for bigger things, like college, that are only becoming more expensive. There are only a handful of jobs that teens can work with no experience and no diploma and these jobs usually tend to be in the food and retail industry. Unfortunately, a common theme with working these jobs as a teen is experiencing extreme disrespect and stress.
Erie Colorado is home to a variety of businesses that are open to teen workers. Many students at Erie High School chose to work in the restaurants, cafes, and parlors scattered over town. Being a part of the workforce can be a very beneficial experience for teens, “It teaches you how you need to respond when you get in trouble or do something wrong and it teaches you how to be a hard worker,” Says Junior Claire Simmons.
Although working as a teenager is a beneficial and almost necessary experience, high schoolers must be careful about how they work themselves. Being in high school is already extremely stressful with having to make friends and keep up with grades and turning work in on time, but when you mix that with finally being old enough to get your first job and working, it can become a work overload. There definitely could be added stress that a high school student needs to manage and work through.
Teens usually start off with fast food and retail jobs, which tend to be hard for teens because having to work for the first time is a big responsibility. Customers are also a huge part of working because you never know if you’re going to get a grumpy person yell at you, or a nice person who appreciates you . “ It’s challenging at times when there is a rush and everyone is constantly overwhelmed” Says Miela Twalt, a student at Erie High School.
During work there are times when it is rush hour and it is difficult to memorize orders and talk to customers when there’s many customers walking in at once. Negative experiences are not uncommon in the workplace, but these things can and will happen in teens’ future jobs.
Erie Colorado is an amazing small community with many local businesses connecting every single day to each other and the people. Working can be a great way to learn about responsibilities but along with these great things come some challenges like time management and stress, “People are scary and even though it’s stressful it was still an experience that taught me this is how people react sometimes, its inevitable; but it’s necessary,” Says Simmons.
Balancing the workload and taking breaks when needed is a super important skill to learn and use when working a job as a high school student. Even when it seems like a lot, it’s important to remember that it is possible to work and be successful in school.
