Kids These Days: Inherent Laziness or Complex Socio-economic Issues

Taking a deeper look at our high school shows a considerably small amount of jobs students have out of class. The apparent lack of high school jobs at Madison High could be due to a number of things. It could be complex; relating to the shifting job market, dynamic social gaps, or the change in mindset within a generation. Or, could it be that there are fewer jobs, or that school has begun to take more time than it used to.

When it comes to high school jobs, parents, teachers, and students would likely all agree that school is the number one priority. However, does having a job have a negative effect on grades, despite better efforts? Madison Dodger Online started off by talking to Lujan Pena, who recently got a job this past February. When asked about whether or not the job has affected her school work she said “no, not very much at all actually” and as a follow up I asked if high school jobs harm the amount of school work done, in which she responded “actually having a job would make you better at time-management if anything”. Lujan’s responses would lead someone to believe that high school jobs do not affect school work as much as one would anticipate.

To determine if this is how most high schoolers feel about having a job, MDO talked to Devon Cinque. Devon does not have a job, and does not have much of an interest in getting one. He believes that having one would harm his grades because “it would hurt the amount of sleep” that he gets on a nightly basis. As it would seem, there appears to be some kind of stigma about having high school jobs that would lead to some believing they are more harmful than they actually are.

One of the parts about having a job, is also worrying about extracurriculars. If a student plays a varsity sport, is in the marching band, is on the robotics team or participates in other time-demanding activities it is hard to get homework done, let alone have a job. For this MDO talked to senior Luke Raymaker who quit his job due to his schedule with marching band. When I approached him about his decision he said “I want to be able to apply myself as much as possible during the band season, and adding work on top of that would only lead to scheduling conflicts. I’d get really stressed and worn out”. An important part of being a high schooler is not only classes but also extracurricular activities and social outings, which many believe having a job would hinder. Many believe that although possible, it would be incredibly tasking to have both a job and a social life at the same time.

Finally I propose the idea that it might just be Madison. Perhaps due to the larger average income, high school jobs are not necessary economically. In order to find out MDO asked the teacher Ms. Cleary, a resident of Madison when she was in high school, to see if the time period affects the rate of high school jobs, or if it depends on just the location. When asked about the likeliness of having a job in Madison, when compared to other towns, Ms. Cleary said “it would be less likely” in reference to other towns where high schoolers having jobs being “more likely, due to economic necessity”. Ms. Cleary’s experience in the town and high school show how the social status of Madison is likely a major contributor to the appearance of high school jobs.

Overall, the relatively small amount of high school jobs at Madison High may not be just due to the millenial incompetence, but it could be due to a number of economic differences, the rigorous scheduling, or the amount of homework. One of the major contributor’s is an apprehension that many hold against having a job, being scared of the consequences of a more involved schedule. But really the only way to know for sure is to put yourself out there and try it out.