Time Management as a High School Student and Part-Time Employee

Lily Bugg, Reporter

No student has fully mastered being a full-time student and a part-time employee. Everybody handles different levels of stress and strain in different ways. Juniors are generally around sixteen to seventeen years old, and many of them feel pressure to get their first job. These pressures may be from parents, friends, or society. A few of the most common jobs are in the fast food industry, babysitting, or in retail. Most students are saving money for college or just to have some extra spending money in their pocket, or perhaps help their parents on some bills they have. Being a student is already difficult and can feel like a full-time job in and of itself, so how can we balance grades, work, and other life necessities? Well, it isn’t easy. Most employed students have a schedule. They have their work schedule, and their school schedule. You may be able to find set times for homework, personal care, and socializing. Some of them just wing it, even though that isn’t recommended.

Don’t worry if you don’t have everything planned out, some people don’t prefer set schedules, or maybe your work week changes frequently. It’s not the end of the world, though it be a little bit more difficult. The first thing to remember is to take a step back, being overwhelmed doesn’t help anything or anyone. Your first job while being a student should be one with a flexible schedule, so you can ensure you can handle it. Take a breath and look at your school schedule first, because school should be at the top of the list. Look through your classes, and figure out if you may need to complete any homework assigned. Next thing is to look at your work schedule. Figure out the time frame you have between when school ends, and work starts.

No student has fully mastered being a full-time student, and a part-time employee. Everybody handles different levels of stress and strain in different ways. Juniors are generally around sixteen to seventeen years old. Many of them feel pressure to get their first job. These pressures may be from parents, friends, or society. The most common jobs are in the fast food industry, babysitting, or in retail. Most students are saving money for college or just to have some extra spending money in their pocket, or perhaps help their parents on some bills they have. Being a student is already difficult and can feel like a full-time job in and of itself, so how can we balance grades, work, and other life necessities? Well, it isn’t easy. Most employed students have a schedule. They have their work schedule, and their school schedule. You may be able to find set times for homework, personal care, and socializing.

Don’t worry if you don’t have everything planned out, some people don’t prefer set schedules, or maybe your work week changes frequently. It’s not the end of the world, though it be a little bit more difficult. The first thing to remember is to take a step back, being overwhelmed doesn’t help anything or anyone. Your first job while being a student should be one with a flexible schedule, so you can ensure you can handle it. Take a breath and look at your school schedule first, because school should be at the top of the list. Look through your classes, and figure out if you may need to complete any homework assigned. Next thing is to look at your work schedule. Figure out the time frame you have between when school ends, and work starts.

If you have an hour or so between them, you may be able to finish a simple assignment or clean your room. Less than an hour? The best choice would be eating a light meal, and just taking some time to relax or spend time with family for a little bit. Now, the main reason your job should have flexible hours is so after work, you can get some homework done, and get some rest. Say you get home after work at about 9:30 pm. Take about 30 minutes to an hour, to just focus on homework. You should be able to get a significant amount of work done in this span of time. Also, take advantage of study hall or free time in any classes.

Don’t take on too many hours at work at once. Maybe start with 10-15 hours, then work your way up if you think you can handle it. We, at North, spend about 35 hours per week in class. The maximum work hours most people recommend are generally around 20. Teenagers’ brains are still developing, and we need sleep to function properly, and that’s very hard to obtain when you’re away from home starting early in the morning to late at night.

Sometimes, schedules may line up where you have school one day, and may be off work, then others you’re out of school, but have to work. Take advantage of your free time. Catch up on homework, take a shower, hang out with friends. It’s a ton of responsibility to take on, so be sure to take it slow. Don’t burn yourself out.

If you have an hour or so between them, you may be able to finish a simple assignment or clean your room. Less than an hour? The best choice would be eating a light meal, and just taking some time to relax or spend time with family for a little bit. Now, the main reason your job should have flexible hours is so after work, you can get some homework done, and get some rest. Say you get home after work at about 9:30 pm. Take about 30 minutes to an hour, to just focus on homework. You should be able to get a significant amount of work done in this span of time. Also, take advantage of study hall or free time in any classes.

Don’t take on too many hours at work at once. Maybe start with 10-15 hours, then work your way up if you think you can handle it. We, at North, spend about 35 hours per week in class. The maximum work hours most people recommend are generally around 20. Teenagers’ brains are still developing, and we need sleep to function properly, and that’s very hard to obtain when you’re away from home starting early in the morning to late at night.

Sometimes, schedules may line up where you have school one day, and may be off work, then others you’re out of school, but have to work. Take advantage of your free time! Catch up on homework, take a shower, hang out with friends. It’s a ton of responsibility to take on, so be sure to take it slow. Don’t burn yourself out!