A part time job as a teen might feel overwhelming. Good grades, extra curricular activities, a satisfying social life and a part time job? Can you have it all? As hard as it may seem to believe, the answer is YES, you can have it all! It just takes a little bit of organization and a lot of self discipline. Both of which are important to learn early on!
Step 1: Assess your class schedule.
Your education is the most important focus in your life right now. So be realistic on how much homework you typically have and how much time you need to devote to studying on a weekly basis to maintain your grades.
Step 2: Look at your extracurricular activities.
Think about what you do in your spare time. Do you play sports, have music practice, speech and debate preparation or religious education? Is it everyday after school? Twice a week, or maybe just twice a month? It may be helpful to use a scheduling app like Google Calendar, or write it down so you can visually see your schedule. This will give you good understanding of your time commitments
Step 3: Think about what type of work schedule works best for you.
Maybe you’re in school everyday until 3:00 and then have soccer practice every day until 5:30, and homework after that. If that’s your schedule, a weekend job may be the best fit for you. On the other hand, maybe you get out of school at 2:00 and only have music lessons twice a week. In that case, you could pick up a few after school shifts as well as a shift or two on the weekends.
The great thing about part time jobs is the fact that they are only part time and can be very flexible. Restaurants, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, retail stores, babysitting, pet sitting, working at an amusement park are just a few of the part time jobs that are very flexible and are willing to work with high school students schedules. The most important thing is for you to know yourself and what you can and cannot handle, know your schedule and how much time you can realistically commit to a part time job as a teen, and then take the time to find a job and schedule that is a perfect fit for you.
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