Most high school students acquire the desire to have a job at some point during their high school career. Some people may feel that they need a job because they want to be more independent and less reliant on their parents. Others are more forced into it by reasons such as a parent’s lack of support or their responsibility to pay bills. Despite what their reasoning may be, many students still struggle with deciding if this is the right decision to make. With an education on the line, many people wonder how much a job will affect their academic performance.

During the first semester of my senior year, this was a decision I struggled with myself. After putting in so much work to stay in the top of my class, I wondered if having a job would jeopardize what I was able to accomplish. I decided to go through with getting a job despite my doubts. I found it to be even harder than I ever expected to be. Having a job got in the way of everything. I found myself constantly canceling my plans with my family and friends so that I could work. I also struggled with completing my homework and studying for tests. Even though I didn’t always get out at late hours, work still took a heavy toll on my academics. I never took into account how much stress my body would be in. I discovered that trying to do any type of school work after work would be insanely hard because my body was so fatigued from moving around and being on my feet the whole day. Additionally, I found it hard to get any sleep, especially if I did my homework. It got so bad that some weeks I would only go to sleep for three hours at a time. Getting a job was truly one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made in my life, and everyday I wish I never even filled out an application.