As a teenager, life can feel like a constant balancing act between getting schoolwork done, talking to friends, and doing activities that can help you build your resume. Teens are also able to get jobs if they want, and it can be a great learning experience to prepare them for what is after high school. But, it can also be a hassle if you feel like you already have enough on your plate.

When you work, going for a certain amount of hours is a must, and you have to work around it. Having a full time job can really take a toll on the student’s school life.

“[My job] takes so much time away, it’s like I don’t want to be in my honors classes anymore, because with honors classes, you have lots of homework to do, and I don’t have time to focus on that,” said CJ Ruehrmund, a sophomore and owner of his own business, Zorb soccer.

Not only can a job take away from your time to study, but it can also take away valuable time you spend with your friends. Jobs can make it much harder to maintain a social life.

“The worst part about having a job is the amount of time you put in, because it can take away from a lot of things, like on the 29th, we’re supposed to have our first event, and that’s the same day as my friend’s birthday party. So, I was going to have to cancel and miss that,” said Ruehrmund.

Having a job is a huge commitment and it can leave you with no time to spare.

“I get home from school right away and I work until 11, and I have to find some time to do homework and everything,” said Ruehrmund.

Having to work around an already busy schedule can be overwhelming, even just getting to the place you need to be can take up time.

“I try to go at least once a week, and since [my internship] is in Downtown Phoenix, it’s like a 30 to 45 minute drive, so you really have to make a schedule to work around it,” said Yash Patel, senior interning at Arizona Small Business Association.

But, having a job of some kind can also be a good thing. For many students, it can help what you’re doing now, and prepare you for what lies ahead in the future.

“The things that I learn in a real life situation can apply here on campus, and that helps give you the perspective of what goes on after high school,” said Patel. “Since it’s a professional organization, there’s a CEO, and everything. So the ways I listen to them come into the situation where they lead any groups anything that they do, I’m able to use that knowledge and apply it here on campus,”

It also can create a healthy work ethic to have for wherever your life will take you.

“With my schoolwork, I was the kind of person who puts it all off and procrastinates, but when it comes to work, I’m getting it done early and I’m always working hard getting everything done when it needs to be done,” said Ruehrmund.

When it comes to jobs, there are many positive and negative aspects that can determine if you think you’re able to do it or not. Many will say that the experience is worth it, but others feel as though there is already too much going on.

“I think the most negative aspect of it is that it takes up a lot of time, and being a senior, the first semester is crunch time for me, so it’s kind of difficult to juggle all of these different things at once,” said Patel. “But, there are a bunch of positives, too. You get to learn how the real world works, you’re getting job experience, it becomes easier to intern and get a job at different places in the future, and it looks great on college applications.”