posted
I want some thoughs on this from people who have obviously done well in school. That is, most, if not all, of hatrack.
Next month I'm entering my final year of high. This is the first time I've ever felt like it really matters. Even if a lot of it's just make-work doing my best will get me into University next year with the best preperation possible.
I'm actually a return who dropped out in 2005. Last year I did a 6 month year eleven equivalent bridging course. Before than (and just recently- I'm only a 10 week break at the moment) I've been earning a lot of money thats been funding a much more entertaining lifestyle, paying back my parents who helped me buy a car, and savings.
Just wondering, who here worked while they were in their final year of high school? And how many hours? I think what'll probably be my best strategy is starting with as many as I can handle and then winding it down gradually as the year goes on and the workload gets bigger. On the other hand, this could prevent me from getting that all important good start and the motivation that comes from getting good grades from week one.
posted
I teach Taekwondo for 6-7 hours per week and it has never interfered with my schoolwork. That said, 6-7 hours is not a very long time for a part-time job and I know plenty of kids who work two or three times as long (and, consequently, have to stay up extra late). Look for a job on Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday so you'll have more time to do your schoolwork.
Posts: 1327 | Registered: Aug 2007
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posted
I worked in my mom's office for maybe 10 hours a week my junior and senior years of high school. It was a good source of money, and my senior year was my best, academically, socially, and what not, of high school.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
I worked two jobs during my senior year of high school. I'd say over all I worked about 36 hours a week. I worked at the movie theater and radio shack both in the mall. Both jobs allowed for ample time to do school work. Low stress, enjoyed the coworkers, and was pretty much able to do my homework and studying on the job without catching flack from the bosses.
posted
Disclaimer: My school week is Tues-Friday. Therefore the weekend is basically Sat-Monday. Same diff though.
6-10 sounds good. 36 (or anything over 25 really) sounds well and truly out of my league.
I'm thinking what I'll do is work about 6-10 hours through the week, and maybe do a Sunday and a monday shift. Through the week will of course be evening/work work. I don't really have to worry about homework through the week because working even 10 hours stretched out over 4 days is so not gonna happen. More likely 2.
But then on weekends I will be studying and I'm just trying to decide whether working day or night shifts will better facilitate productive study time.
Posts: 1138 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
I worked about 15 hours a week at Pizza Hut my senior year of high school. Oh, how I hated that job! But it didn't affect my schoolwork or extracurriculars in any way, mainly because I didn't let it. During the play, for example, I just let the manager know when I wasn't available.
Also, I just didn't have that much out-of-school work to do.
(And incidentally, not having much homework and going to an "easy" high school had absolutely no impact on my ability to get into a good college, win scholarships, and be academically successful at a rigorous college. I really wonder about the value of excessive homework that many high schools students seem to suffer from.)
Posts: 834 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
It really depends on how motivated you are. Some people can work and excel while others wont.
I couldn't handle it and my schoolwork suffered. But then I wasn't really that pushed to do well at all. I regretted it in the end, but a lot of hard work later and I'm where I want to be.
You could try working for a few weeks and just see how it goes. If you notice a dip in your grades then you can just quit, no harm done.
Posts: 243 | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
I worked the afternoon shift at UPS my senior year. Their 'full-time' loading / unloading positions are 20 hours a week, which is one of the reasons they pay higher than average hourly wages.
I don't think my school work suffered, and most of the homework I had was reading novels, long term group projects, and a self-paced mentor program, so I could accomplish most of my homework on weekends, and use after work as an "in case of emergency" time for school work as well.
Posts: 1368 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
I had several different jobs while in high school. I generally kept the hours to under 15/week.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
I worked four jobs my senior year in high school. I did not have great grades anyway and this was an opportunity for me to make some money. We did not have much money in my family so if I wanted something, I had to work for it.
I did miss out on a lot of stuff though. If I had not worked so much, I could have been more social. But then again, without money, I couldn't have been very social either.
I wouldn't work as much if I had it to do again.
Posts: 1766 | Registered: Feb 2006
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I have a lot of flexibility in my work choice. The reason I've started this thread is because over the weekend the managers at work have put up a notice offering us the opportunity to elect for fixed shifts of our choosing during the school year.
I'm thinking Sunday and Monday afternoon shifts would be good. So would the 5:30-10:30pm Tuesday/Friday shifts I was doing when I first started. The total I've worked out comes to 20 hours. I think I'll start with that and work downwards as the school work load increases.
posted
I worked at a restaurant my last 3 years in HS, about 15-20 hours a week.
When I started, the income was a revelation to me. I'd never had that much money of my own before, even though my paychecks were about $70 every two weeks.
At the end of HS, however, I'd figured out how to spend it.
Still, I honestly think having a PT job and your own financial life during HS helps you learn independence.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
I worked three years of high school (Soph, Junior Senior) after school, approx 7 hours per night (yeah, the laws were different back then) Got off work at 11 PM and got up and went to school the next day. Close to 40 hours a week. And still made High Honor Roll all semesters, except maybe my last year (but that wasn't because of work -- that was because I threw "partying" into that full schedule)
Posts: 9538 | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
I worked 20 hours/week for the first part of my senior year, but my parents decided they didn't like me taking 20 hours/week away from sleep & school (or ferrying me to and from my job at odd hours), so they made me quit.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
i already had most of my classes to graduate my senior year, so i did DECA and got out of school around lunch time or earlier and left for work every weekday. i worked about 5-6 hours every weekday for a great company. TO be honest, working wasn't what stopped me from doing as well as i could have in high school. it was the 'other' things i was into at the time.
EDIT: i agree with advice for robots on this one. having the job helps you learn independence, but so does a good education. dont sacrifice that for a job at this point in your life if you can't have both.
Posts: 813 | Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
Like many have undoubtedly said, find something that works *around* the school schedule, including homework and after-school-activity time, if possible. I made it clear during my interview that, while I would love to work for that company, etc., my first priority was as a student in high school. I let them know that I would make every effort to inform them well in advance of any potential conflicts and that I could only realistically work Friday nights and weekends, except during holidays.
This may turn some potential employers off hiring you, since it is a veritable headache when it comes to scheduling work, but I think it is better to be up front about it as opposed to getting hired then telling them, "oh....Mondays really aren't good for me. Or Tuesdays. Or Wednesdays. Or every third Thursday."
I was hired and still able to put in around 20 hours a week, which was awesome. I'd typically do the closing shift on Fridays (6-10), then work an 8 hour shift both Sat and Sun (8-5, 11-7, or 1-10). It wasn't bad money for a high school senior at $7.50/hour. What with sales incentives, I was actually making $300 every two weeks *after* taxes.
It almost makes my teacher salary depressing....
Posts: 1099 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
"I worked at a restaurant my last 3 years in HS, about 15-20 hours a week.
When I started, the income was a revelation to me. I'd never had that much money of my own before, even though my paychecks were about $70 every two weeks. "
$70? How much did you get paid an hour???
I've had a bunch of different jobs since I started high school. Right now, I'm a senior, and I'm working at a restaurant where I'm scheduled for 16 hrs a week, although it usually changes week to week since I trade shifts with other people alot. In the summer between my sophomore and junior year I worked almost 60 hours a week between two jobs in order to buy a car. I worked as a camp counsilor from 9-5 during the week and 3 days during the week I worked as a cashier at a supermarket from 6-9 pm and I also worked weekends there. That was the hardest summer of my life, but I got a car out of it so it was all worth it.
Posts: 2054 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
It's hard to lay a blanket judgement on how good having your own money that you earned at that age can be. On one hand, I think it'd be easy for some kids to get carried away with the spending in the same way they might when they get their first credit card. But, for me, having my own money at that age (I never got an allowance at any age) was extremely good at teaching me the value of money, how to spend my own money and the value of saving for things. If anyone had the time to do it, in that, they could still do well in school and spend the time doing it, I'd recomment anyone and everyone get a job in high school, even if it's just a few hours a week.
To be fair, I had a sweet set up. I worked in an office doing very, very easy computer work. And I got a good wage under the table. The job I have now (the next one I got) taught me a lot about earning things the hard way, working my way up, and taxes (yeck!). Either way, I like the idea of high schoolers working at least some hours. I think it makes us more well rounded later in life.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Some advice I have is to save up enough money(usually $1000 for a mutual fund) to invest your money in the markets, or at the very least a certificate of deposit. Saving instead of spending sets you up better for your future. And when you're supported by your parents you have very little to no personal cost of living, which is an ideal situation for any money you earn. Learning to be less materialistic/a sheep of corporations/consumerist is another benefit.
This is a great way to learn about money and I find it fascinating to follow the markets and the particular stocks you have money in. You probably shouldn't invest in individual stocks. Instead, try out a highly rated mutual fund or index fund.
posted
I worked at a movie theater for my last two years of high school. I usually worked a short Wednesday shift after-school and two weekend shifts (Fri, Sat, Sun.) It wasn't alot of hours but I was doing this on top of varsity choir and musical rehearsals which were more time-consuming that my classes really.
And then I always got lots of work during holidays and the summer which helped break up the monotony of sitting at home. I got bored easy during school vacations.
My dad and I did have an agreement that I had to put half of my earnings into a savings account that I could not touch. And I did save enough money to pay for all my entertainment costs, gas for my car, and groceries (outside of my meal plan) for the first two years of college. So this meant I earned enough to treat myself to movies and cds and the occasional trip to the mall, but I didn't earn so much that I could be careless with it.
I had lots of friends who worked full-time jobs while in high school and while I wish I had done the same (I felt spoiled by comparison) I also know that I would have burnt out. It all just depends on the person. My emotional health depends on me being able to take hours of quiet time by myself and spending 40 hours a week surrounded by loud crowds on top of school would have made me a wreck.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
As a word of caution, I noticed that in his profile, Cheiros list his location as "Australia". There are some very significant differences between the Australian school system and the US system. Enough so that I'm not certain how relevant the experience of Americans working in High School is relevant to the Australian situation.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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posted
I work with undergrads, and a lot of first years. They do research and generally get course credit not pay (so more internship then job). My fellow grad students and I have had many conversations on which ones are the "good" ones. We have a very, very strong preference for students who have had jobs in high school. We tend to trust them faster and let them do individual projects. The students we feel like we are just babysitting tend to have never had a job before.
Posts: 1001 | Registered: Mar 2006
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quote:Originally posted by GaalDornick: "I worked at a restaurant my last 3 years in HS, about 15-20 hours a week.
When I started, the income was a revelation to me. I'd never had that much money of my own before, even though my paychecks were about $70 every two weeks. "
$70? How much did you get paid an hour???
I've had a bunch of different jobs since I started high school. Right now, I'm a senior, and I'm working at a restaurant where I'm scheduled for 16 hrs a week, although it usually changes week to week since I trade shifts with other people alot. In the summer between my sophomore and junior year I worked almost 60 hours a week between two jobs in order to buy a car. I worked as a camp counsilor from 9-5 during the week and 3 days during the week I worked as a cashier at a supermarket from 6-9 pm and I also worked weekends there. That was the hardest summer of my life, but I got a car out of it so it was all worth it.
All right, that was completely off the top of my head. I remember my paychecks being that amount at first, but maybe I wasn't working more than 12 hours a week at first. I got paid minimum wage, whatever that was back in 1989. Probably around $4.00/hour.
And I think I'm remembering my net, not my gross. All that mattered was what I put in my pocket after taking the check to the bank.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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