By: David Waterman
In a typical school week there are 35 hours of school not including homework, yet 74 out of 124 students surveyed in a recent Milestone poll have held at least one job during the school year.
According to the survey results, 106 out of 124 students have held a job at some point during the year, with the majority only having held one job. More students said they opt to work during summers, than during the school year. “It is stressful to keep up with school, sports, and work all at the same time,” senior Keeler Pansing said.
A source of income during school is useful for students, whether it be helping pay for a car, further their hobbies, or “helping me gain independence from parents,” senior Shelby Scott said.
While 85% of students surveyed have been employed at some point, they have not all followed the same employment path. Approximately of students work in some sort of food service, including Chick-fil-A, Kroger, Chipotle, and Arthur’s. The other 79% are divided among retail, church, entertainment, and a large variety of other work.
Students learn “how to manage money” senior Christiane Hazzard said, as well as “connecting with their community and customers,” senior Ian Bodner said.
“It is important to make customers feel valid and appreciated,” senior Lisa Sandmann said. These lessons benefit students, and they can be applied in future jobs. Only 13% plan to continue in a similar career path to the one they are employed in now, but students are able to use their work for their future jobs.
“Working on cars allows me to see the problems that are overlooked during design,” senior Noah Pasco said about working at Eurauto Inc, a full service auto care center located in Madisonville.
“There are a lot more different types of people in the world than there are inside of a Catholic school,” said junior Maggie Deller, who is not currently employed but has worked in the past.
While “work is sometimes difficult to manage,” Bodner said, 83% of students said they enjoy their jobs.
The McNicholas Milestone 