Blake Kroeze(’18) is a senior at AHS who also works at Adidas 20 hours a week. He also has zero period jazz band, making 37 ½ hours at school per week, plus jazz band gigs and Symphonic Band concerts, football games, and basketball games, not to mention all other extracurriculars. As if that wasn’t enough, Blake also has balance this with his other classes and social life.

These are Blake’s three main complaints about work: “I’m tired, I’m tired, I’m tired.”

Blake, like many other students in High School, has a lot on his plate. Most of us are constantly busy working as hard as we can, whether it be to keep grades up, maintain a social life, or any other number of things.

It can be a real challenge to balance out all of these. For example, a student could wake up, go to school, go to work, and do their homework, and that would be their whole day, especially if they can’t drive themselves.

Although it can be very challenging, many students seek out a job in high school for one reason or another. Starting at 14, you can get a job for certain work areas, including retail, babysitting, and gardening. There are many reasons, however, to try and get a job.

Many have to provide for themselves or their family, so getting a job could be very beneficial. Also, many just want some extra money or the initial thrill of getting a job. It can be very exciting to get a job, especially your first one.

Most importantly, as Blake says, “wait ’til you’re absolutely sure that you can balance it” before you try to get a job.