Many students at Tupelo High School have part-time jobs throughout the year, which makes it difficult to balance school, work and extracurricular activities.

According to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2011, 28 percent of high school students work part-time jobs averaging 20 hours a week or less. These results bring up the ongoing debate of the positive effects outweighing the negative effects or vice versa.

Many say that having a job in high school builds character and develops valuable skills.

“I love the interaction with different people and the fact that it’s real life stuff,” said Elizabeth Wyatt, a THS senior who works at Juva Juice.

Many sources claim that it is harder for students to keep their grades up when they have to work 20 hours or more a week. Not many athletes take up a job during the school year because of the lack of flexibility and late hours required.

“I usually average about 30 hours a week,” said Richard Gunnells, a Chick-fil-A employee and senior THS football player. “It’s hard to balance sports and work. With football, I have to work late.”

Everyone is different and certain things such as part-time jobs have different effects on each individual. Maddie Sloan is a senior who is currently employed at Yellow Lovebirds and works an average of 15 hours a week.

“It’s hard to balance both school and work because I have school work to do some nights, but I also have to work,” Sloan said. “I don’t get home until nine, and by that time, I am exhausted.”

Although people think that students having a job that requires 20 hours or more a week has a negative effect on their grade, Ty Garner thinks differently. He is a junior who works 25-30 hours a week at Harvey’s and still manages to maintain his grades.

“Working actually helps me keep my grades up,” Garner said. “The main thing I like about working at Harvey’s is that it is flexible with school and other activities. Working keeps me focused and on top of things.”