School is out for summer vacation and excitement is filling the air for all the students who get to go home and relax or even pack for their summer trips, except for those who have to work the whole summer. For a lot of high school students, that is their reality. So many work the summer away to make some extra, or necessary, cash instead of spending their summer enjoying the time off, the weather and the endless possibilities of activities.
Summer vacation is a time for students to have a break. A break from all the stress of their busy lives. Working is a big stress on students, especially during the school year when they are trying to juggle passing all of their classes and working a job.
Students who work throughout the summer aren’t letting their mind have the break they need, but instead making the next school year more stressful on themselves it also makes it hard to regain the motivation needed for school.
A lot of employers at companies know when school lets out for summer break. Because of this, they will instantly schedule their teen employees a lot more instead of allowing them to have a break, sometimes even working them as much as they legally can.
However, some students enjoy working more because they have more cash in their pocket to be able to afford summer activities. But, what those students may not realize at first is what they are doing to their mental health when they work more hours than what they would normally work during the school year. Their mental health is decreasing from the stress of trying to manage a job and possibly make time for their friends.
Giving the body and mind a break is important for the health of people, especially in kids and teens whose bodies are still developing. According to Child Focus, being outside during the summer months can improve mental health in adolescents. By teenagers having a job, that is most likely going to be indoors in the air conditioning with the rarity of going outside, they aren’t getting the improvement on their mental health that they need before the next school year starts.
Now for some, all of these things don’t matter. Some high school students don’t care about not “having a summer” because it means they are getting the money to buy and do the things they want. During this time of their lives, they are saving for things like a car or for some, college.
Other high school students are getting a job not for the money, but for the experience. Having a job, and keeping it for a while, makes students look really good in future interviews, and is a good habit to get into when the time comes for them to actually support themselves. It also shows that they are up to working through things like breaks off school. Employers like that.
High school is when students are supposed to start preparing themselves for the real world. To some, getting a job is how they do that. It promotes self-sustainability and real-world problem solving for students before they are thrown to the wolves.
There are many takes to working through the summer and not, but the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to having a vacation. Not having to work through the summer, not having to worry about a job, making plans around a job and having the time to do things they enjoy far outweigh the monetary benefits of working. Having the time to relax and do what needs to be done to prepare for the next school year is more important at the end of the day.