Young People Ask . . .
Should I Get an Afterschool Job?
“Awake!”: What made you get an afterschool job?
Eric: I was living at home, and I wanted to help my parents out financially.
Olga: Independence. I wanted my own money.
Michelé: I was already getting an allowance, but I wanted work experience.
Duane: I didn’t work for money. I worked to help out my uncle who had a business doing painting, masonry, and so forth.
Anthony: I worked because I wanted to be able to buy clothes.
“Awake!”: Your mother wasn’t buying you clothes?
Anthony: Not the kind of clothes I wanted.
ARE you thinking of getting an afterschool job? Perhaps you would simply like to have a little more pocket money, and a job seems to be the quickest way to obtain it.
A job can have its advantages.a It may teach a youth responsibility. It may impart valuable experience and useful skills. Nevertheless, not all aspects of working are advantageous, and before taking on a job, you should carefully count the cost.—Compare Luke 14:28; 1 Corinthians 10:23.
What Will I Do With the Money?
Many youths work so as to provide their parents needed financial help. High-school teacher David L. Manning notes, however, that “the primary motive for part-time work appears to be indulgent self-interest.” Indeed, much of what teenagers earn is devoted, not to savings or family expenses, but to luxury items, running the gamut from stereo systems and concert tickets to expensive sneakers. In the long run, the money earned is often money wasted.
“What did I do with my money?” responded young Michelé when an Awake! reporter asked a group of youths what they did with the money they earned on their jobs. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I didn’t invest any. I guess I spent it on going out. Movies—I’d go every weekend. And shoes. My thing is shoes. I’ve paid up to $250 a pair.” Young Olga answered similarly: “I guess I spent all my money. The more you make, the more you spend. But I don’t have the faintest idea where it went.”
“What profit does a man have in all his hard work at which he works hard under the sun?” asked Solomon. (Ecclesiastes 1:3) And without a clear-cut reason for working, without a definite plan as to how you will use—or save—the money you earn, your hard work could similarly prove fruitless, futile.b ‘But what’s the harm in just spending it on things I want?’ you might ask.
It is one thing to work for legitimate needs. But laboring long and hard for frivolous wants is a snare. It can create an unhealthy appetite for material things. (Compare 1 Timothy 6:8, 9.) It can nurture a self-centered, me-first spirit that runs counter to the Christian spirit of giving. (Acts 20:35) So before getting a job, would it not be best to establish whether there is a legitimate need for it?
School and Work
Another thing to consider is the effect working could have on your schooling. “No one can slave for two masters,” said Jesus. (Matthew 6:24) This principle applies to many students who find themselves caught in a conflict between school and job.
Studies indicate that working youngsters are far more likely to be absent from school than are nonworkers. And when they are there, they are often inattentive. “I was out of school by noon and did secretarial work from one to five,” explains young Olga. The effect? “I was tired. School and work tires you out.” Little wonder, then, that the grades of many students take a plunge after they begin working. Some even fail.
“I had to go to summer school,” recalls Anthony, who flunked while working at a factory job after school. However, Anthony kept right on working throughout the summer. The result? “I also flunked summer school and had to repeat a grade.” True, some bright students are able to maintain good grades. Recalls Michelé: “I would just listen to my teacher, grasp what she said, and pass. I never had to study.” There is a world of difference, however, between just getting by in school and being absorbed in really learning.—Compare 1 Timothy 4:15.
So if you are considering employment, ask yourself: ‘Will I be able to give reasonable attention to my homework? Will I be able to get adequate rest and sleep?’ (Ecclesiastes 4:6) Much will depend on the nature of the work and the schedule. But if a job hinders your schooling, is it really worth it?
Work and Your Family
Also of concern is the effect working may have on your relationship with family members. “Our own studies indicate . . . that adolescents who work do spend less time in family activities than their non-working peers,” say researchers Laurence Steinberg and Ellen Greenberger. For example, “many working youngsters report that they eat dinner with their family less frequently (thus losing one of the few times of the day during which parents and children can ‘catch up’ on each other’s activities).”
Mealtimes were an important feature of family life in Bible times and continue to be so among God’s people today. (Compare Proverbs 15:17.) Among Jehovah’s Witnesses, many families use the morning or evening meal as an occasion to discuss spiritual matters. Will an afterschool job prevent you from participating?
Working youngsters may also begin to feel quite independent of their parents. Some even reason that since they have their own money, they are less subject to their parents’ authority. A paycheck, however, does not free you from your Scriptural obligation to ‘listen to the discipline of a father’ or to obey the ‘law of your mother.’ (Proverbs 1:8) Your parents have every right, for example, to determine how much of your hard-earned cash should go to family expenses. After all, nearly all of their money does.
If you decide to work, why not show your maturity and your interest in the family welfare by asking your parents how much you can contribute to the family finances?
Your Job and Your Spirituality
The most important consideration of all is the effect working might have on your spirituality. Steinberg and Greenberger report that exposure to the workplace often results in forms of youthful ‘deviant behavior,’ such as stealing on the job or cheating in school. Some youths even bow to peer pressure and give unauthorized discounts to—or even steal for—friends. The pressures of work (and having ready cash) push many youths into alcohol and drug abuse.
True, having Christian principles, you would never even think of doing such things. However, having a job can expose a youth to “bad associations” to an intense degree. (1 Corinthians 15:33) Are you prepared to handle such pressure? While in school, have you ‘walked in wisdom toward those on the outside’ by avoiding unwholesome association? (Colossians 4:5) If you have shown some weakness in this regard, are you really ready to face the greater pressures of the workplace?
A strenuous work schedule may also make it difficult for you to follow the Christian routine of meetings, personal study of the Bible, and participation in the Christian ministry. “I have missed meetings because I was tired after a day of school and work,” says Michelé.
A decision to get an afterschool job is thus a serious one. Careful thought must be given to all the factors involved. Talk matters over with your parents or a mature Christian. If a job is deemed necessary, try hard to keep your balance. Work out a schedule that allows you to give adequate attention to your schooling and spiritual development. If that is not possible, consider other ways of earning cash. Perhaps there are major household projects your parents would be willing to pay you to do. Some youths start small businesses, such as cutting grass or baby-sitting, that allow them to earn cash at their own convenience.
But what of youths in poorer lands who have little choice but to work? A future article will discuss their situation.
[Footnotes]
a See the article “Will an Afterschool Job Help Me Grow Up?” in our previous issue.
b See the December 22, 1988, and January 22, 1989, issues of Awake! for suggestions on handling money.
[Blurb on page 16]
“The primary motive for part-time work appears to be indulgent self-interest”
[Picture on page 15]
Are you working to pay for legitimate expenses or to satisfy a love of material things?