Most parents think it’s very responsible that their teenage child have a job while attending high school right? But they don’t think about how much of a bridge burner this could be to there child’s future hopes and dreams. A students high school years consist of not only fun but these years are for learning, meeting new people, networking, creating future college plans, and focusing on and finding out there future dreams and beliefs. A job after school can not only throw a student off there thinking track but it can mislead them in a direction that may seem right at the moment but they regret in the future. I am totally against the idea of students containing a job during their high school years.

Having a job during high school can and will throw you off your focus by means of your school work and school as a whole. A job will interfere with ones studies due to the hours of work after school which should be used for studying and homework. Most parents encourage students to get that after school job but also wants their child to be ready for college. What they don’t understand is the contradiction there creating by encouraging their child to spend after school hours working rather than studying. How can you push your child in two different directions with two meanings?

Yes, I know of people that have had a job during high school and yet have still had a good high school experience and have gone onto college. While on the other hand, I’ve noticed a completely behavior and showmanship between a dedicated with a job and a dedicated student without a job. For example, Students without that after school job that has free time to do thing such as hang with friends and family, do homework, and have time to themselves seem to come to school each day with a better and more positive attitude than others. While students with that after school position appears to come to school the following days unprepared, restless, tired, unfocused, poorly groomed, and with a much careless attitude. As we progress in life are brains and body develop with the growth to manage and succeed in more tasks at one time. In high school (Which means between the ages of 14-18) I believe are minds and bodies aren’t developed enough to handle all the stresses of high school while managing a job at the same time and still be able to succeed in both of them.

Referring to the writing of “McDonald’s is bad for your kids” by Amitai Etzioni (49) he states, “But large amounts seem to flow to pay for an early introduction into the most trite aspects of American consumer: Flimsy punk cloths, trinkets, and whatever else is the last fast moving teen craze.” I can relate to that in a way seeing as all the money I’ve received over those high school years went to whatever was “Hot” at the time to teens my age. Fact is that teens are so worried about making money to buy material items that they want and certainly not need. Actually most students I’ve come across during high school years have told me there actually saving the money there making from that job funds for college but yet after pay day they come to school with the newest pair of air Jordan’s on the next day. All in all a teen will be a teen, therefore some if not all are working for money to buy things that will have no effect on their future what so ever than focusing on school related things that can and will effect there higher learning opportunities and effect the difference from living in a lower, middle, or upper class establishment or lifestyle.

Etzioni also states, “Thus, most teens work these days is not providing early lessons in work ethic; it fosters escape from school and responsibilities, quick gratification, and a short cut to the consumersistic aspects of adult life” (52)

I feel teens most of time look at these jobs as an excuse to get out of a lot of things, not only in the classroom but at home as well. They constantly blame their jobs for unfinished business such as homework, chores, bad grades, School absences, ECT. As they see this problem constantly occurring, themselves nor their parents do anything about the situation which shows they believed in a lower living work experience rather than seeing their child walk down the aisle for graduation and onto a college lifestyle of higher learning. I also believe that more of the students with older parents are encouraged to get jobs and work for everything they want and need because that may be the way there parents where brought up. So not only do I see it as the students fault, but also the parents fault for the constant push they may be putting on their child in this negative way.

Teens now a day’s also have a lot of trouble with a thing called “Procrastination”. This word is already a big word in society used to describe teens and young individuals of are generation. Teens already procrastinate enough in and out of school enough with or without a job. My point being, seeing how big of a problem this word is already, what do you think teens with jobs that procrastinate being employed will do? Exactly! Not only will they continue to procrastinate, they will also see this job as a reason, better yet more like a comfort in order to feel better as they know that they are indeed procrastinating. Why push a problem that we are already aware of rather than solve it?

A big part of high school is sports. High school sports and activities can really excel you in life and put you on the right path of where you might want to go with your life. I have had one important and life changing decision I had to make during my senior year of high school that changed my entire life in one day. My senior year I did occupy one position as a cashier at Acme super market. I actually got the job to get some money together right before graduation to put towards college expenses. On the downside I was trying to balance the job with my high school baseball career at the same time which I actually played the biggest role of the position I was in.

Until one day I had to make the biggest decision of my life at this point. The decision that could actually turn my life upside down or excel me to the place I actually dreamed of being one day. We an important rivalry game against Camden Catholic High school that would indeed make or break are season and my career as a high school baseball athlete. I’ve held the starting varsity catchers position since my sophomore year at Pennsauken technical School. On the other hand I was scheduled to work a double shift that Friday night at Acme during the same time the game was to take place. I actually was aware that I was suppose to work that day but seeing as the game before was the game that decided if we where to make the playoffs or not, we actually won the game as underdogs which pushed us to the playoffs and put me in this awkward situation. I hate to be called a quitter in anything I do so of course I was going to try and be both places I just didn’t know how I was going to make that happen. Another twist is I did very well in the game before the playoffs with 2 homeruns and the winning RBI that won us the game which put me at an upper level position on the recruiting chart by to colleges being Arizona State University and Penn State. Both recruiters where to be at the first playoff game vs. Camden Catholic.

As you can see I was in the biggest predicament of my life. Yes, I know you may be thinking that a job at Acme wasn’t worth my future as a college athlete and a possible career as a baseball player for a division one college, but I didn’t see it as that. What I saw was me giving up in something which tares me apart inside no matter what that something is. I had a decision to make. I asked everyone from my coaches, my family, my teachers, my boss and they basically gave me the same advise which was follow your heart which ever direction it takes you. My boss at Acme didn’t actually see eye to eye with me on the situation. He told me he actually needed me that day that day and if I wasn’t able to make it he would have to let me go which I found very awkward cause I believe in my heart that he actually didn’t want me to succeed in life or actually succeed in something better than Acme.

At that point, That reason was actually the point of my decision being that I wasn’t in no way trying to get stuck at an Acme register for the rest of my life which I was actually shocked it took me that long to realize that. I was fired from Acme, Attended my baseball game and played a good game but not as good as I wished. After losing the game and me thinking I had ruined my future, to my surprise I received a letter from the Arizona State University athletics commission congratulating me on receiving a full ride baseball scholarship! So after making the make or break decision of my life I actually made the right decision that put me exactly where I wanted to be. Talking to my coach after receiving the letter I actually was informed he was aware of my situation around the time of the game and not only did he award me the scholarship because of the way I performed threw out the season, but he awarded me the scholarship for the way I conducted and handled the situation in the manor I went about doing it, my grades during my high school years, and also the many activities I was a part of during high school. After talking to my high school coach about the problem he contact both scouts and informed them of it. Seeing that the scout from Arizona State was making the trip all the way to NJ for me he deserved to know before wasting his time and me not playing. He actually told my coach he believed I would make the right decision and he would be more than willing to make the trip to see me play without at all knowing what my decision would be.

In Conclusion, I believe having a job while in high school is a bad idea. Parents and others may think otherwise reason being it builds responsibility to young teenage minds. Responsibility is nothing if you don’t handle your school affairs first which should be your top responsibility at the time. My life was changed over one decision I made 2 years ago which I believe put me in the position I’m in at the moment even though I didn’t continue on that path. School comes first and should always be the first priority in a teenager’s life. Don’t fail the people that love you nor more importantly don’t fail yourself over something that puts your education and your future at risk. The mind is a terrible thing to waste.

“The only time SUCCESS comes before WORK is in the dictionary”