While some students go home after school, others head straight to work. These students sacrifice their time, homework and social life in order to make money and be independent.

“I work at Jumpstreet in Allen,” junior Brenna Weaver said. “I decided to apply there because I knew that I was going to need money for gas when I first got my license.”

Brenna balances work, school, friends, family, sports and clubs, and she sometimes works extra-long shifts. Junior Andrea Turner can relate.

“The longest shifts I have ever worked were nine hour shifts,” Turner said. “Two of them were the first two shifts I ever worked.”

Turner works at Cinemark and, because it is a movie theatre, it sometimes requires her to stay later than usual.

“I usually get four to six hours of sleep a night,” Turner said. “It’s really hard to balance everything with a job that can last really late at night, with junior year being the hardest year of high school. I try to get things done for school as early as possible, but sometimes I have to sacrifice sleep to get it all done.”

These sacrifices can lead to a decrease in time spent preparing and studying for quizzes, tests and homework. Most jobs do not allow their employees to study on the clock. Because of this, senior Tyler Obenshain, who works at American Eagle Outfitters, must adjust his schedule to make time for studying.

“I’m not allowed to study when I’m working, which goes for a lot of people,” Obenshain said. “If I have a huge test the day after a long night of work, I study when I get home and try to wake up early to study even more.”

Though having a job comes with disadvantages, the good qualities outweigh the bad.
“Some advantages are that I have money to spend, discipline and experience in that field of work,” junior Garrison Weaver said.

Garrison, who works at Raising Cane’s, also juggles other extracurricular activities such as choir and soccer.

“It’s difficult balancing things in my life, but you just have to plan and keep track of everything and make sure that if there are conflicts, you take care of that in advance,” Garrison said. “Sometimes you have to sacrifice hanging out with friends, but you have to do what you have to do.”