Students balance academics with part-time jobs

It’s a Saturday afternoon, and junior Charlie Dutro pulls the glass door open and heads into Wildwood Market. But he’s not here to hangout or grab a snack. Instead, he takes his position at the cash register where he helps his father manage the market.

Dutro is is one of the few students who is managing to incorporate a job into their school schedules. Even though working three hours on Saturday and Sunday afternoon means extra responsibility, Dutro finds that having a job is beneficial for him.

“It’s good [because you earn] money,” he said. “And [it’s also] if you want to be independent and have good life skills.”

Dutro carefully splits his earnings into purchasing clothing and necessities, while saving the rest. In doing so, he can easily manage how and when to use his money.

Junior Jonathan Vita is another student employee at Wildwood Market. He works a one-hour shift at the market on Tuesdays and also works a two-hour shift at Pet Food Express on Saturdays.

Vita finds dedication to his jobs to be essential in the workplace.

“You have to commit 100 percent to your job to get raises,” Vita said.

Vita believes that while having a job is fun and working with others is enjoyable, it is still challenging. The hardest part, he feels, is finding the time to study for tests and quizzes while still putting time and effort into the job.

However, he said that the “veteran experience” will be useful for him in the future.

Senior AJ Newmark works at Dodger Dave’s, a pet store where he initially got a job to make use of the extra time he had after school and to make some money. He saved up his paychecks to pay for a Ford Ranger and enjoys the time he spends at Dodger Dave’s.

To insure that he can juggle school along with his job, Newmark uses the block schedule to his advantage. He has developed a schedule that allows him to work after school for three days a week from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. He accomplishes this by working on days when he does not have much homeworK. Even with careful planning, Newmark still sees how much time his job can take up.

“It’s a big commitment because [your boss] tells you [that] you have to be here, and if something comes up, you have to miss it,” Newmark explained.

Newmark does enjoy his work at the pet store, though.

“It’s fun because you get to play with animals and you learn a lot because you learn to react to certain things [that the animals might do],” Newmark said.

With fun aside, Newmark likes the professional and personal benefits the a job brings.

“[It’s helpful] if [people] need extra money,” he explained. “[Also, when a student is] if they’re going to apply to college, it’s really beneficial, and [colleges] like it if you can balance work and school.”