“Quite a Juggling Act”

As students get older, they find themselves debating if they should start working a job. Whether they work to help their family, save for future education, or just want some money to spend, they all have to ask themselves the question: is a paycheck worth the sacrifice of precious time?

“I usually work only 12 hours, but having a job can get in the way of some things,” says freshman Chloe DeVere, who works after school and on weekends at Sea House Restaurant.

Though DeVere works less than most students, she admits to having trouble keeping up in school. To stay on top of things, she will try to “cram some work in at school and as soons as I get home to move it out of the way so I don’t have to stress after work.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Chloe belongs to the 22.5% of high school students in the U.S. who are employed in paying jobs. However, Chloe is 15 years old, so according to Hawaii’s Child Labor Laws, she cannot work before 7:00 am or after 7:00 pm on a school day.

As a minor between the ages of 14-15, Chloe also can’t work more than 3 hours per day on a school day or 8 hours on a non-school day. In a couple of years, Chloe will be old enough to work anytime she isn’t required to attend school. However, the choice of how many more hours to take will depend on her future schedule and her age.

The struggle for balance between life as a student and an employee can be difficult, but, as some say, worth it.

“...whatever I can, whenever I can…”

While child labor laws are designed to ensure that students aren’t overwhelmed with work and school, some students pile on extracurriculars and sports on top of everything.

Senior Dania Oleiwan is a band officer and can be found in the band room after school about 3 days a week. Yet, that is only when she is not at Teazentea where she works as a bobarista 18 hours a week. Despite her busy schedule, Oleiwan claims that her grades “aren't really affected.” “I'm able to balance it out” she claimed, “doing whatever I can, whenever I can.”

Jaylee Vierra is able to maintain an A-B average, all while serving as a StuCo member and working evenings at Leilani’s as a hostess 8-10 hours a week. Despite her great GPA, she complained that she struggles to find the time for studying and homework. “I usually have to crunch everything in a certain day,” or later in the evening when she gets home from her shift, she said.

As part of the leadership team for the class of 2027, Vierra also tries to find the time for her duties and sometimes has to work out scheduling. But her priorities are her job. “I let my work know ahead of time if I have events,” she said, “and if I can’t get off, I need to cancel.”

DeVere also tries to keep up with her school work when she has sports. “Sometimes I come home late and am too tired to finish things,” she said. As a JV player for Lahainaluna’s women's soccer team, this is especially draining as she constantly gets home late from practice even when she doesn’t have work.

Senior, Jean Alternado currently works as a server at Island Cream Co and works about 12- 20 hours per week. “It was a little hard to find my flow around things, I was struggling to keep my grades up, but the more I got used to it, it managed to become easier with maintaining my grades.” Finding a balance between a job, extracurriculars, and academics, Alternado said, takes time and experience.

"I need to learn to interact with others..."

Despite the challenges involved, student workers like Vierra see the job as valuable in the long term. Specifically, Vierra thinks that her job provides her with valuable knowledge for her future career. “I want to be a clinical psychologist,” she said, “which means I need to learn to interact with others along with being professional.” Becoming a psychologist requires many soft skills, and hospitality work, she thinks, will prepare her for a career that is based on communication.

Hostessing also offers Vierra experience in a “fast paced environment,” she added, “along with being professional to the people I seat.” All this experience, she says, will help her with managing clients and keeping a work-life balance in her future career.

Alternado aims to become a business owner and says that working a job could “give me some insights on what an employee feels like to be a better employer.” He thinks that this experience can help him create a thriving business environment in the future by, for one, helping him see how a business works so he can keep his future customers and employers satisfied.

“Honestly my job taught me how to be patient and helped me talk to more people, which I believe will be helpful in hopefully, my future in healthcare” says Oleiwan who hopes one day to be a medical doctor. Oleiwan feels that working has given her head start on learning soft skills that are vital in her future career.

“...miss out on experiences…”

As much as a job can help students gain valuable skills and experiences, other students think that having a job would give them less time to explore the enjoyment of being a teenager.

Freshman, Shantelle Semillano used to work at Da Best Pho as a cashier 8 hours a week, from her experience she says “Working feels like you aren’t allowing yourself to be a child.” Showing that working a job makes you more mature from all the skills you gain and forces you to have less leisure time to spend to your amusement.

In addition, sophomore Grayson Guzman thinks that if he worked a job “I would have less time and possibly miss out on experiences with my family and friends,” fearing that his time would be wasted on working too hard while having no time to have fun.

“Working a job can make teens worry about being left out in after school activities with their friends, or family.” says an anonymous junior. Since many jobs occupy a ton of time in a student’s daily life, working shifts can cause them to envy their peers for having more free time.

“...quite a juggling act…”

“Every job has ups and downs and there is no overlooking that.” Says DeVere. And though there are many downsides such as stress, time management, and schedule conflicts. Most employed students enjoy their job, and do it for their own pleasure and future.

CTE teacher, Marc Watasaki admires the work ethic of employed students and acknowledges that working a job as a student can be “quite a juggling act, it takes a lot of maturity to be able to focus on what your priorities are and take care of what you need to.”

“I really do enjoy my job! Most of my colleagues are Lahainaluna alumni and some current students as well. It really is worth my time, considering my pay. Working with great people is a bonus.” Says Alternado.

“My job really is worth my time,” said Oleiwan. “I don't regret being employed.”