Students Should Not Work throughout High School - Research Proposal Example

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY should/should not work throughout high school. Nowadays majority are doing part- time jobs while they attend high school as well. Most of these students manage both the things simultaneously while others face difficulties. High school prepares students for the future colleges they have to enroll in and the real world that exists in which they have to survive. In the four years of high school, students are informed about the variety of college majors they would have to chose from but remain uninformed of the financial and time management struggle they would have to encounter. In college students have to become independent and are confronted with the problem of earning money to support themselves along with the problem of maintaining equilibrium between time for school and work. Although it looks like that working throughout high school is an objectionable idea, it could teach the students a lot regarding the real world and the obstacles it offers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1980, 40% of students were working. Today 80% of students are working 20-30 hours a week. As these results demonstrate, an ever increasing number of students work through high school and as a result, it is widely accepted by the world and moreover considered as a normal characteristic of adolescence (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2005). Schools have no problem with it, cities respect it and parents support it with a fact that it teaches kids the worth of dollar. Apart from earning an income; these students start to develop responsibility as an important trait in their personalities. Teenagers with a job develop effective communication skills and learn to balance their priorities at a young age. It not only adds another bonus to their resumes, it also gives them an opening opportunity into the working world. While working through high school at different jobs, students could pick up many expertises that they would otherwise not have learned in school. Another advantage of working through high school is that a part time job at this stage helps the students discover their areas of interest, weaknesses and strengths. This benefits them a lot in choosing the right future career for themselves. With a stable income, students can learn about managing their money in responsible way and to maintain a balance between their expenditure and saving. Working through high school gives student a sense of independence and confidence. These children rise to be self- sufficient which is a vital quality in life as schooling lays the brickwork for upcoming profession where independence gained through experience is the key. However some students do not have an option to chose whether they want to work or not? In order to support themselves and their families and finance their education they have to earn through high school. In the present economy, it is compulsory for students to understand the significance of hard work and what it takes to manage a home under these calamitous conditions. From this they will be more responsible towards their school work as well and understand the importance of education in life (Tierney & Colyar 2009). Nevertheless, some people argue that although work can be a great additional benefit to a student’s variety of skills and experience, it can also lead to anxiety, depression, lowered grades and bad performance in school. They support the fact that students should instead focus on their school work and assignments to attain high-paying job later. Another factor is that when these students have money to spend, they feel that they deserve to go out and spend it, as their right and sometimes going against the parents. As they are exposed to money at a young age and because of their immaturity it causes derailment from their goals. As there is a famous saying that “sailing in two boats will take you nowhere” so the students should do what is rather mandatory at this stage. In the Journal of Child Development, a study published found out that working more than 20 hours a week in high school is linked with decline in school engagement and challenging behaviors however the good news is that working fewer than 20 hours per week doesn’t have a negative effect on students. As the cost of higher education is increasing, work is a necessary part of life for many kids as their parents fail to support their expenses. David Malcolm states “that at least half of students work during term-time; even higher percentages do so in vacations. About 70 per cent of those who work say that they do so to cover basic living expenses.” They argue that school is not about attending classes, some of the most excellent part of education takes place outside the class room, such as drama, sports etc. when students take part time jobs they don’t get a chance to enjoy these parts of school even if their grades are not affected. (Malcolm 2008). Now despite all these arguments and reasoning, students should be given a chance to explore their own way in this world, and they should be given the freedom to choose which opportunities they want to avail. Confining them to school and homes will never give them the confidence to move ahead in life. Students working throughout high school should be encouraged so they learn self discipline, even if working does affect their education, these teens are old enough to make their own choice. We should not enforce our decisions and point of view on them. References: The Sunday times- ‘part –time jobs- a mainstay of students’ David Malcolm –August 13, 2008 US Bureau of Labor Statistics 2005. < http://www.bls.gov/nls/nlsy97r6.pdf> Top of Form Tierney, W. G., & Colyar, J. E. (2009). Urban high school students and the challenge of access: Many routes, difficult paths. New York: P. Lang. Bottom of Form Read More