When the final bell rings, most students are dismissed from their long 8-hour school shift. They can shut their brains off and head straight from North Atlanta to their living room couch. However, for a select few, that final bell marks the beginning of an entirely new shift. Outside school hours, students have all sorts of jobs that reward them in the form of paychecks. From serving food at local restaurants to babysitting young children, students work tirelessly wherever they are employed.
The workload that comes with high school is not small, so having an additional job can be very draining. Juggling homework, extracurriculars, and a career requires true commitment. However, most employed students will attest that the positives far outweigh the negatives. Along with many teenagers, sophomore Azuka Otuonye works at Chick-fil-A. Her first couple weeks on the job were filled with stress, and she was humbled very quickly. It didn’t take her long to realize she was a big procrastinator and things would need to change if she wanted to keep the job. As Otuonye worked more and more shifts, she taught herself techniques to balance schoolwork with other tasks. In addition to this, working at Chick-fil-A has helped her grow in many other aspects of life. Earning wages has enabled her to understand the value of saving money for her future. Taking people’s orders has improved her social skills and made it easier for her to communicate with others. “Working with customers has made me actually pay attention to what people are saying and how I respond,” she said. “It’s cool knowing that I can make a difference in someone’s life by simply talking to them.”
Although most students reluctantly get jobs because their parents forced them to, this is not always the case. Certain students take initiative and proactively find a job. When doing so, they search for positions that fit their interests. These sorts of jobs can make working more enjoyable and a lot less boring. Sophomore Henry Syme and freshman Holden Fraser have jobs that relate to their sports. Fraser works as an umpire, officiating younger players’ games. As a big baseball player, this job called his name. Syme, on the other hand, works at Play It Again Sports. “I wanted to work there for a while because they have a large lacrosse department,” said Syme. “Since I know a lot about lacrosse, I have fun at my job and I can help a lot of customers easily.”
Around holiday seasons, many companies in need of more employees will often look towards the high school age group for help. Thus, many students take advantage of this and apply for jobs around these times. This works out in the students’ favor because they don’t have to worry about having a job all year round. Instead, they can work portions of the year and still earn a regular income. Sophomore Jake Landt is a prime example of “the seasonal worker”. Towards the end of 2023, Landt worked at Pike Nursery as a Christmas tree loader. This year, he is applying for a position at Spirit Halloween. “I guess I am a big fan of holiday work based on my resume,” said Landt. “I’ve only worked for a short amount of time, but I learned so many customer service skills that are so important to have, even at this young age.
Despite the struggle of being a working student, it will pay off in the long run. NAHS students with jobs have learned how to balance a multitude of tasks, ultimately creating a remarkable work ethic. In their future careers, their previous experiences will lead them to be one step ahead of their peers.
