Teenagers in high school have an insane amount of activities; between school, homework, extracurricular activities, and social life, it’s a miracle we can even manage the meager hours of sleep a night we get. But on top of that, many students, like myself, add on a part-time job.

I first got my job at Sublime Chocolate February of junior year. It was incredibly easy to manage; as one of the youngest members on the team, I worked a maximum of 10 hours a week, and only on Fridays and Saturdays.

But as most of the staff moved on to college, I was suddenly a senior member, and asked to have a weeknight to close every week. Starting at the beginning of the school year, I suddenly worked anywhere from 12-20 hours a week.

While my job is incredibly easy-going, the fact remains that at least once a week I leave school early, rush to work, and get home anywhere from 10:30-11:30. For the most part, this means none of my giant workload gets done on Mondays and I have to struggle to catch up the rest of the week. And I’m not the only one.

“I like my work at Twisted Root because it’s really chill, but I have to work 20-40 hours a week and it’s impossible to catch up with all the dual credit stuff I have to do,” senior Megan Forrest said.

But not all jobs are bad; I myself love the atmosphere and people I work with. Getting paid is just a bonus.

“There’s really nothing I don’t like about being a referee for little-kids soccer,” freshman Cole Bennett said. “I don’t have many hours so it’s easy to manage, it’s really easy-going and the pay’s good.”

So why do we try to manage a job on top of everything we already have to do? For me personally, working is actually pretty fun and I love the responsibility I feel behind the counter. But I also have another, more important motive: college. I absolutely crave the meager paycheck I receive every other Thursday and I carefully budget each into savings or my checking account. While I only receive $7.50 per hour, 25 cents more than minimum wage, other students are doing better.

“When I’m at the counter I make $8 an hour, but when I’m a shift leader I make $10 an hour plus tips for both,” Forrest said.

“I get $18 a game that I ref” Bennett said.

Either way, jobs have their advantages and disadvantages. Hours on the job can be tiring and frustrating, but the responsibility and paychecks that come out of those weekly hours are invaluable.