One of the first things you should do once you turn 16 is get into the workforce. With so many options of where to apply and work, many question themselves: Where is the best place to work, and should you work at all?
Some strong contenders could be Walmart, Harris Teeter, or McDonalds. Each has its pros and cons. Harris Teeter for example has a “light workload and nice management,” said senior Tevyn Proffit.
There is also the choice of working in fast food, like McDonalds. Many students, however, don’t recommend it because of its stressful environment.
“There was a rush of fifty orders,” said Willow Springs High School graduate Steven Garcia.
Most workplaces offer very few benefits for part-time employees which most students will become. Despite working for so long at certain places you may not get a personal raise of any kind senior Abdelali Zerrouq said. “I’ve been here for 11 months and only gotten a raise of $0.28,” said Zerrouq.
Getting a job is still a major part of a teenager’s life and getting one means you’ll be gaining a lot of responsibilities and are expected to show up on time. This may be hard for some students who need to balance school, sports, and personal life with work.
Some students, who are balancing school and a job, feel that they have no free time anymore.
“I’ll come back from school and go straight to work, just to come back at 10:30 and go to sleep, not finishing my school work, and repeat the next day,” said Zerrouq.
Some jobs rarely give schedules where you can get weekends off, so it may feel like students are working every day without a break because of school and work taking up every day of the week.
Regardless of how bad a job may sound, most students still need to get jobs for various reasons. Some may be trying to buy their first car, others saving for college, and some may just want money for personal spending.
In the end, the decision is yours. Should you spend your limited time working at a job that won’t value your efforts as a part-time student, or avoid work and have no money for a car or personal expenses?
