In school students are taught an enormous array of different skills that are useful later in life. However, some skills that are just as much of an asset to students go beyond the classroom.

Whether students choose to work to bolster their college resumes, or to fulfill financial obligations, working at some point during high school is beneficial because it helps students develop professional skills they may not pick up during school hours.

Having little to no work experience is detrimental to students near the end of their high school careers because that is when they will need a more composed demeanor for college interviews, internships and jobs.

Arriving to work on time, abiding by a strict work ethic, and working with an array of different personalities helps the student develop discipline. People rely on a person’s attendance at work in a way they do not at school, giving students who work a greater sense of responsibility.

If a student makes the decision to be late or not show up, they can simply be fired, whereas in school, students are often given multiple chances to make up work or have someone else pick up the slack for them.

Along with discipline comes time management. School is typically seen as students’  main priority; work often comes second. However, in order to balance the two, students are forced to find enough time for both in order to succeed in both places.

Some may argue that these few skills are already emphasized during school hours through extracurricular activities offered to students, and that a job distracts students from their primary focus on school.

However, extracurricular activities are just as demanding as jobs. Both offer the opportunity to learn professional skills, but jobs have the added benefit of stepping away from the high school realm and experiencing the pressures of the real world.

Throughout high school, students are handed multiple chances to prove themselves that often they do not realize the value of those chances. Having a job gives students a reality check that shows them that later on in life, chances do not come as easily as they do in high school. So take advantage of holding a job in high school, but do so responsibly.