Benefits of being an employed student

“My dream job,” a phrase so commonly heard by high school students after graduation. While students take an important step in their lives after high school, they often lack a crucial portion to their resume- work experience.

Having a job while in high schools teaches important lifelong skills that will develop a resume and abilities necessary for future success. Working while in high school is a great activity that develops tasks and responsibilities for life. While students balance academics, athletics, and everything in between, a job is a great opportunity for students to be involved in over weekends or breaks.

“No matter what your first job is, even if it seems incredibly easy and/or incredibly boring, you’re guaranteed to pick up skills you didn’t have before. These skills can include anything from learning how to work a cash register, to building customer service skills, to figuring out the trick to balancing all those restaurant dishes on your arms at once,” Christine Sarikas, Michigan University Graduate and writer for Prep Scholar said.

Key skills are acquired by new employees. In a workplace environment, valuable characteristics are developed. Adaptability, integrity and interpersonal skills are just some of the many skills acquired by high school students with a job. Furthermore, financial habits are determined by a student’s first source of income (working a job.) Tracking spending, controlling purchases within your means, and understanding monetary management are just a  few traits students should acquire while working. How do they accomplish this?

Good financial habits are accomplished through the appropriate guidance usually by a boss that is experienced and knows how to handle money well. With appropriate guidance, a student can start off on the right foot with their money. The world of finance is a complex one with new terms, concepts, and rules foreign to a high school student.

Susannah Snider, personal finance editor at US News said this guidance can include “walking teens through their first pay stubs, helping them check their first credit report and assisting them in opening a new checking account. Teen workers can even learn about retirement – and the glorious beauty of compounding interest – by opening a Roth IRA with their part-time earnings.”

With this guidance, a teenager will go on to make educated financial decisions. Besides parental guidance, a job itself creates real lessons for employees.

“The professional working world is one of the best classrooms when it comes to offering lessons in personal finance, including real-world tutorials on income taxes, budgeting and credit,” Snider said.

A first time job sets the stage for what type of employee one will be the rest of your life. Attitude, timeliness, conduct are all factors looked at by prospective employers. Developing these habits now allows for preparation and less mistakes to be made in future jobs.

While a first time job can be difficult to manage, the benefits outweigh the cons. Having jobs during high school on your professional resume gives you a big advantage over candidates with no work experience. Sarikas writes, “Even if your high school work experience only amounts to flipping burgers for a summer at your local fast food joint, that can still give you a huge leg up over people with no work experience when you apply to jobs in college and later on. If you start learning the skills to being a good employee in high school, you’ll set yourself up to be an outstanding employee later on down the line. So make your mistakes now instead of later.”

Additionally, working has shown to have a positive impact on mental health. In “Is Work Good For Your Mental Health?” by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, shows comprehensive evidence that a job contributes to a healthy state of mind. “A sense of identity and personal achievement studies show that work is generally good for health. As well as a financial reward, it gives many of us self-esteem, companionship and status.” Many companies offer employee wellness policies.

Trent Hamm, founder of website “The Simple Dollar,” started the website after recovering from a financial collapse in 2006. Hamm was able to he was able to pay off all of his credit card debt as well as his vehicle, and he also established an emergency fund.His financial recovery took place in just 8 months. After that, he decided to share with the world what he learned and help those who were struggling with the same situation. He describes the various programs implemented by all types of companies. “Many employers offer programs to help their employees get through challenging periods in their lives. While I could have separated out many of these programs into their own sections, it really makes sense to just provide a list of such offerings: substance abuse assessment and support, occupational stress assessment and support, financial counseling, and family, personal, and professional relationship counseling.” Having a job is another source of important resources that can be available to students.

A job will also open your social circle, allowing you to interact with people from all walks of life. Scott Dombroski,community editor for Glassdoor, a job search engine, said, “Scooping ice cream, delivering newspapers, doing administrative support work are all skill sets that still involve managing time, managing priorities [and] working with others,” These are all professional skills that can help teens earn more in the future, ace a college interview and gain better jobs as adults.

In conclusion, while the life of a high school student is unique to each student, adding a job to your life is something you will benefit greatly from. Experts agree that a job gives you a future advantage for resumes, applications, and future employment after college. In a workplace environment, you are part of an important team trusted to work together to complete the job. While your first employment may not be the most exciting, it will teach you important interpersonal skills and financial skills for the rest of your life. Research also suggests that a job is positively correlated with a good mental health, as a job typically includes important counseling and support for employees. So apply now! Make that sandwich, work that cash register, scoop that ice cream. While it may not be your dream job, being employed prepares students for the competitiveness and demands of the labor force after college.