Once most people enter their mid-teens, they realize the power of money. Lots of high schoolers like to buy nice shoes, clothes, new devices or other objects that fuel some of their passions. With this realization, they decide to get a job. But how are students balancing school, activities and work? Sure, the benefits of some extra cash without paying any expenses are nice, but is it worth the time and stress?

Seniors Caden Zewataskey and McKenna Cupka work in town and have learned how to keep their performance up in school while making some extra cash. “I love getting to help people and making money,” Zewataskey commented, “I just make sure I’m not working more than 20 hours a week,” he continued. Cupka also likes similar aspects of her job and loves working with fellow FHS students. “I really like my coworkers and I work with some people from school. It’s pretty fun.” Cupka commented, “I try my best to get all my school work done during the week, so I don’t have to do it over the weekend.”

Every job has its downsides though, but both seniors believe that the positives outweigh the negatives. “I don’t like it when some people aren’t nice,” Zewataskey said. Cupka also commented, “I just have to get up really early and work long hours. I don’t like not being able to sleep on weekends.”
Students who are earning money are exceptional, especially when they are limited in not only sleep but also time for extracurricular activities. Now that college applications are taking the scene even more, stress is added to many students’ lives, but the beauty in learning to balance everything is a great life skill they are developing.