On top of homework, friends, family, sports, and other extracurricular  actives, many students obtain part-time jobs. Although it requires great time management and a person who can handle immense levels of stress, holding a job as a high school student prepares you for life beyond these 4 years.

Many students have the mentality that high school is everything. But life does not end after high school, in fact, after high school your life truly begins. Those who focus too much on how they are perceived by their peers and materialistic items will have to face a dramatic reality check after graduation. If you have a job as a teenager, you will get a glimpse of what a successful and prosperious life truly requires: hard work and dealing with stress.

The feeling of getting your first ever paycheck and knowing that you worked hard for the money in your wallet is tremendously more rewarding than pouting your eyes to get daddy to pay for your shopping spree. As harsh as it may seem, things in life are not just handed to you and its better to learn to work hard for your desires in life sooner than later.

In addition to feeling accomplished and learning to balance the important aspects of life, it looks great on college applications. Working while in high school says your responsible, diligent, and motivated. Many students rely on their parents up until the time they are ready to leave for college, but having a job conveys a unique characteristic that will set you apart from other applicants: independence. Your employers can write letters of recommendation far more impressive and personal than those who get them from their English teacher writing letters for twenty other students as well.

Some may say you have the rest of your life to work, and having a job can take away study time and decrease your grades.  Therefore, having part-time jobs is not for every student. It requires sacrifice, commitment, and ambition. In the moment, it may not seem like the most glourious thing in the world, however, the benefits that will appear in the future are entirely worth it.  The jobs available for high school students may not be the most interesting thing in the world, nor what you want to do with the rest of your life, but learning those basic skills are necessary for future employment. You have to start somewhere.

Many students may not have time for a job due to involvement in varsity sports or other extracurriculars. Those serve as valid alternatives to holding a job in high school because you can also learn crucial leadership and teamwork skills. Whether you involve yourself in sports, community service, band, or a part-time job, it takes time getting use to and figuring out how to stabilize the categories of life as a high schooler. Staying preoccupied and working towards a goal sets you apart from others, gives you an advantage for you future and allows you to obtain valuable life lessons.