Phoebe Lembeck, Staff Reporter
Along with academics and extracurriculars, many students in the Upper School also have jobs. Although they have to work particularly hard to find a balance between school and work, working in high school also comes with several benefits. Randy Pierre and Bianca, juniors who work at the High Jump Program at Latin, and Sophie Golub, a senior, who works at Frankie’s on the Park and also works for the t-shirt company “143,” are three examples of Latin students pursuing work experience along with their academics.
Although Sophie feels that her work doesn’t interfere much with her schoolwork during the week, she admitted that it limited her schedule. She said, “Work makes me do my homework on Sundays, which can be a lot.” Another challenge with having a job is that it can interfere with athletics. Randy added, “Since I work on Saturdays, I would sometimes have to miss Cross Country practices and meets.” Like Sophie, Randy and Bianca’s weekend schedule is significantly impacted by his work. He said, “It’s not uncommon for students to do, but there are times when I have a lot of homework, which can force me to stay up late on weekends.” Bianca agreed, saying, “At first, it was difficult to manage my job with the junior year workload. But now I feel like I’ve gotten the hang of it and I feel like there’s a nice community of people who are in the same position that I can go to.” For these students, a big part of deciding whether or not to get a job was determining what sacrifices need to be made and what is most important. But thankfully, they aren’t alone in their struggle. 
With challenges also come benefits. Although the time commitment of work is onerous, students shared that they take away important skills from working. Bianca said, “I think my time management, communication, and networking skills have all improved a lot just from working with High Jump.” Jobs can also give students insight into career fields they’re interested in. Randy Pierre explained,“It’s important to get some experience in the workforce at a young age. It helps me understand what I like doing and how to be an effective worker.” The dedication and responsibility needed to maintain a job can teach one how to manage their time and be prepared for jobs they might have in the future. Sophie Golub, who is interested in fashion, said, “I would recommend for someone who is passionate about something to try out work within that field.” 
However, Sophie added that “Working in high school is definitely not for everyone.” If someone is too busy or has a tight schedule to begin with, then adding extra work can be overwhelming.
Nevertheless, many positive things have been said about working as a student. It’s a great opportunity for students to learn new things, gain real-life experience, and do something interesting—all while making a little money.