By Victoria Mancini and Daniel Cooper, John F. Kennedy High School, La Palma, CA

Managing time as a student is difficult, but managing time as a student and employee is double the amount of work and difficulty.

Students by day and employees by night, students that have jobs must stay on top of their homework and work schedule all while trying to be careful not to fall behind in either area. Despite their busy schedules, students with jobs are still able to manage both parts of required work. Much of their success has come from cooperation between their supervisors, themselves, and their teachers.

“My boss is very understanding; he wants me to be involved senior year,” senior and Ralphs employee Katie Padilla (pictured above) said.

Students who try to take on the extra responsibility of working a job may actually find it is easier than many would think. AP US History and World History teacher Mr. Cornforth held a job at Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza while he was in high school; he was in AP Calculus, AP United States History, AP English, AP Government, AP Bio, and APR History at the time.

“As long as one schedule does not conflict with the other, and you can keep them separate, it’s not really an issue,” Cornforth said.

It is possible to succeed in both school and work. However, there can be times when the two schedules conflict with one another. Katie has had trouble with conflicting schedules, as she sometimes has to work Wednesday nights, which is when she has color guard rehearsal. Still, she is able to work around this because she has an understanding with her supervisors. They let her off work for those days that she cannot miss alate night school event.

“It’s easier to please supervisors; they are mostly young with kids, so they are more understanding,” Katie said.

Any students that are looking for a job should know what they are getting themselves into. They should know exactly how a job will affect their schedule and if they will be able to handle it or not.

“Students that want to work have to know their schedule and know if their classes are hard; it’s either studying more or working more, so they need to know how they are going to plan,” senior and Pirate’s Dinner Adventure employee Fay Min said.

Having a job in high school can be a good experience for a student, and it will often times make students more responsible and better prepared for life after high school. Fay was able to buckle down and manage her time well, and is on track for a more fulfilling high school experience.

“She really watches her time like when she has to get to work and is more organized and better with communicating with different people,” Fay’s mother Joyce Min said.

Cornforth believes that if you wish to take on the task of going to school and work, you must have certain qualities that define you.

“Good time management, organization, responsibility, and drive and motivation to do both well, instead of both half-heartedly,” Cornforth said.

When faced with the decision of going to school, and working, students need to consider the consequences and understand what they are getting into. They must know what will be best for them in the long run.