Managing time between school and a job can be difficult. However, many students at Middletown High School with a job or extracurricular activity can manage their time better than students without one.

When students start high school, they usually don’t have a job, but they do have an extracurricular activity. It is almost as difficult to manage time with an afterschool activity as it is with a job.

“It’s hard to manage the activity with all of the homework to do,” said Austin Lewis, MHS freshman football player.

Jobs are important for high school students; however it makes it harder to get through school. If you don’t have time to do the schoolwork, you might have to quit the job or activity. Students can get stressed out easily if there is no time to relax.

“You always have another thing to think about and another thing to worry about,” said Erin Chambers, MHS sophomore marching band member.

Students have many ways of managing their time, whether it is afterschool as soon as they get home, before the activity or job, or doing a little bit of their work during the activity.

Mark DeArcangelis, MHS junior football player, said, “I do my homework after dinner.”

Working hours and what type of job students take is an important part to how well you can manage your time. If students work too late, they will have no time for schoolwork; if they have a high paying job, but a lot of work goes into it, they will have no time to work on schoolwork.

DeArcangelis said about one hour after school or from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m on weekdays are the best times for working.

Planning on how long students work is the most important thing when it comes to time management. The student needs to manage the time between their job and also schoolwork, but not forget about one or the other completely.

What classes you take can also decide how well you manage your time. Depending on the teacher, you might get more homework than you can handle with your job.

School can be difficult, and having those types of classes and teachers makes their job harder to manage.

There is a “higher stress level” for students with these types of classes and jobs, said DeArcangelis.

Despite the known stress of school work, many get jobs to earn a bit of cash for college or pleasure. Getting a job with short working hours or a job that is not too far from home is wanted by most.

A good job for high school students would be a “low level service job, mowing lawns, or a fast food service.” said Chambers.

Life can be hard with school and a job or afterschool activity; it could be due to homework, the job, or practicing for the activity.

“It can get hectic when you have to figure out how to get to practice on time and do all of your homework. You get no free time, ever,” said Chambers.

Managing your time between school and a job can be easy; it can also be very difficult. Everyone can find a balance between school and work may be stressful at first but usually turn out easy for most.