By Reese Panos 

Many high school students wonder whether they should a get part-time job during the school year or not.   If you don’t have a job you usually don’t have money.  Without money there is not a lot you can do with your friends.  

Junior Morgan Houghtaling, who works at Dairy Queen, says, “I like having a job because I get money to do fun things like, go out with friends on weekends, go to football and basketball games, and stuff like that.”

There are a lot of local places in Mount Vernon that students can find jobs during the school year and the summer.  From Ace Hardware to the Mount Vernon Pool there are many different types of jobs with different hours and skill sets.  If there is not something that interests you in town Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Iowa City are not that far away.  

Once you find a job that you enjoy and  start earning your own paychecks you realize how hard it is to earn money and also start appreciating the things your parents have bought for you.

Even though it can be hard to keep up with classes, be involved in extracurricular activities and work part-time, it is worth it.   Working outside of school teaches you about money and working hard and helps you become better with people skills and time management.  Junior Noah White says working at Casey’s “gives me some money to spend.”

Working part-time at Gary’s has definitely been a great way for sophomore Mat Trachta “ to earn money and that’s it”  which is the only reason he works.

Junior Adrienne Hill, who works at Fuel agrees stating, “It allows you to gain experience in the workforce, which then sets you up for your future.”