By Leroy Tran
As the seasons change and spring flowers turn into summer scorches, a heavy question lies ahead of most students: should I be working right now?
As soon as school gets out, or maybe even before, flocks of students go around the local community to find employment wherever they can—the movie theater, a McDonald’s, a cafe … there’s quite a few places around, although the actual job hunt seems daunting. It seems like a rite of passage in high school; a summer job implies the transition from adolescence to adulthood. With a job, you suddenly feel like you’re moving up in the world.
I have generally advocated for student employment. I like working, and I thought that was the ultimate goal for everybody. We’re all getting jobs at some point, so why not start now?
But I have a contrary opinion as well: students need to enjoy themselves. I think that’s the end all, be all of student life, because you’re only a teenager for a brief moment in your lifetime. Adolescence pushes the idea of living wholly and actively while also urging for these people to grow up. It does feel like a summer job can tear apart any plans to enjoy yourself. It’s a drag if you’re trying to have fun while balancing the demands of the workplace.
So, if the question of employment looms over your head, consider this: you can either be materially happy or spiritually happy, and maybe find a bit of the other in one.
All people have material and spiritual needs, and sometimes you find yourself needing one more than the other. A job satisfies your material needs, or otherwise supplements the material provided by other sources. It is plain to see that people, and students especially, are constantly concerned with money. We want new clothes, new meals and a car. If you really want these sorts of things, then a job is appropriate. Buying stuff with money that you have made is very euphoric—it’s one way to find material happiness.
Although you may be materially happy, that job often forces you to make compromises with your free-time … going out with friends or enjoying personal time is much harder and constrained to certain hours when you’re working. You might miss out on a lot of what makes the teenage experience special by spending your summer in the kitchen of a restaurant. Spiritual happiness takes time, and you surrender lots of time to work.
That’s not to say you can’t be spiritually happy when working, however. You may really enjoy your job as you meet new people or find work experience that’ll help you later on. But remember: you’ll always be making compromises, no matter what.
What’s the verdict?
You should only ever get a job if you really need the money or experience. Otherwise, enjoy your summer. In high school, you only get four years of memories, so it’s best to spend that time doing as much as you can. Instead of a job, dedicate some time to yourself; learn a new skill or improve your lifestyle. There’s so much more to the world than work.
