Struggles of Students with Part-Time Jobs

980 Words4 Pages
A person is “most impressionable during [their] teenage years” (Smith 2009). Coupled with the fact the average teenager is littered with dozens of complicated new physique, feelings, urges and desires, one's teenage years can be arguably the most crucial years of one's life. One of the most rewarding or detrimental effects a teenager can experience now is work, specifically part-time work while still attending school. Together with the family, school, and peer group, “work is a major socialization agent in adolescent development” (Loughlin 1998) and has great influence on all aspects a teenager can struggle with. “The number of adolescents who work on a part-time basis while attending school has increased considerably over the past few decades. By now, the proportion of youngsters in the United States who have worked by their late teens is about 80%” (De Ma 2008). Part-time jobs can be beneficial to teenagers. They build character, help develop a higher self-esteem and establish the importance of making one's own money and the responsibility it carries with it. However, it may be more harmful to many teens instead. The modern teen carries more responsibility than previous generations, particularly when planning their educational future and well being. Then combined with the rampant growth of extra curricular actives and sports, the addition of a part-time job can be over burdensome, “potentially place[ing] them under a great deal of psychological stress” (Loughlin 1998). This paper will explore the benefits to one's self-esteem and fragile teen foundation having a part-time job while attending school can have, as well as the disadvantages of having one, and the stress it can bring instead. Part-time work can instill powerful life lessons and values to a teenager, in addition to generating confidence and a higher self-esteem. “In general, parents and educators
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