My mother — like most other parents — has a long list of things that I am expressly forbidden from doing. I’m not allowed to drink, smoke, drive recklessly, or get a job before I turn 18.
That last one, I understand, might seem puzzing. While having a job in high school may seem pretty commonplace for many of my peers, my parents have consistently been against it.
It’s not that my family doesn’t need the extra money. My parents just don’t believe that now is the appropriate time for me to be employed. Their philosophy has been that until I graduate, my priority needs to be classes and schoolwork. They think an after-school job would significantly detract from my ability to land a satisfactory job in the future.
And my parents aren’t alone. There are countless others who agree with their reasoning. I know of another student whose parents refused to allow him to work during his high school years, believing that it would hinder his ability to study for tests, to compete in extracurricular activities, and to ultimately get into college. The moment he was accepted to the college of his choice, they demanded he find a job.
It’s easy to see the rationale behind these parents’ views. Today’s high-performing student takes 12 advanced placement classes, joins five different extracurricular organizations, and plays three sports. It’s difficult to juggle a job on top of all that. Previous research has demonstrated that teen employment results in higher rates of absenteeism, less school involvement, and lower GPAs. Many feel these negative outcomes aren’t worth the extra cash.
On the other hand, I know of a girl whose parents required her to find a job starting at age 15. even if it meant she couldn’t take advanced classes because her job was so time-consuming. It wasn’t a matter of whether her family needed the additional money, either; her parents simply believed that getting a job would teach her much more than any class ever could. They considered the work and financial experience to be the best way to prepare her for the future.
There are high-achieving students who are extremely proficient at Lincoln-Douglas debating, are “mathletes” or win tennis matches, but are clueless about the basics of a workplace or about managing their own finances.
Having never had a job before, I know practically nothing about what it’s like to actually be in charge of my own expenses. Admittedly, I am often unpractical, and I don’t truly understand how hard my parents have worked to provide for me because I don’t know what it’s like to be employed.
Many graduates have said it was ultimately the good judgment they acquired through practical experience in their teen years (rather than their experience in excelling at high school Knowledge Bowl competitions) that helped them the most through college. Reasonable amounts of work experience should be valued by teens as an opportunity to gain practical experience, instead of being seen as a detriment to scholastic achievement.
The truth is that in high school, preparing for the future consists of more than just earning good grades or excelling at sports. While academic success is (of course) necessary, there is another essential piece required that scholastic success doesn’t account for: Work experience, even small amounts, can give students a sense of practicality, sensibility, and good judgment, which is something that a class or extracurricular activity simply can’t provide.
Janet Chen (jchen5653@gmail.com) of Broomfield is a junior at Fairview High School in Boulder.
