While teen movies would have you believe that everyone except you spends the summer months frolicking on the beach surrounded by ice cream and boys, realistically, many of you probably had to work some kind of crummy job just to be able to afford sunblock this summer. Once you head back to school it may be tempting just to quit in a blaze of glory by flinging your apron and name-badge at your manager and screaming, "CLEAN UP IN AISLE THREE!" But before you do that, you should weigh up the pros and cons of keeping your summer job.
PROS:
Money
Well duh, right? The hardest part of not having a job anymore is the transition from "I'm buying day-of-the-week underwear just because I can!" to "Can I trade the lint in my pockets for food please?" Actually, lack of money is the ONLY hard part about not having a job, unless you really will miss getting up early and having hands that permanently smell like garlic. So keeping your job once you go back to school will ensure you are able to buy a constant supply of double-ended highlighters and rainbow shoelaces with which to dazzle your friends. (Well what do you spend YOUR money on?)
Responsibility
Proving that you can be in the same room as piles of knives and money without killing anyone is a big deal to future employers and the people who decide whether or not you get to go to their college. Successfully holding down a part-time job is also a good bargaining chip for parents: "Mom, Dad, today I did not cause a salmonella outbreak or flood the mall. I think this proves that I can stay home by myself this weekend instead of going to Uncle Muriel's fifteenth wedding."
Friends
Unless you work in the Mines of Unfulfillment and Misery, or are a babysitter, chances are you will have made at least one friend at your workplace. The curious nature of casual-job friends means that if you quit, you will never, ever see this person again. But if you keep your job, you will have at least one other person to invite to your birthday party, which makes three people you can invite to your birthday party.
CONS:
Time
When you find yourself scribbling your English essay on a paper bag in the bathroom at the end of your nine-hour shift at Grocery Joe's, it may strike you as ironic that a "part-time" job actually takes up ALL the time in which you used to do things like study, or sleep.
Responsibility (the dark side)
One of the things that sucks about proving you are responsible is that then, people expect you to be responsible. Over the summer your parents probably got used to not paying for your stuff and having you out of the house on weekends. If you quit, it will take a while for them to adjust their thinking, and you will find yourself buying your own lunches and not being invited to family events because "Oh, we thought you would be working!"
Social deprivation
One of the sad truths of having a part-time job is that at some point, you will be in the following situation:
Friend: Hey, I'm having a pizza night tonight, want to come?
You: Oh, sorry, I have to work.
(six hours later)
You: Hello, Greasy Pete's Pizza Parlor, can I take your order?
Friend: Hi, yeah, I would like to order enough pizzas to feed all the people at my house who are watching that great movie you haven't seen yet and having a wonderful time without you. How many pizzas do you think that would be?
Do you work during the school year?
Related post: Grievances of a Grocery Store Employee
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