Time management is a necessary skill that students need to learn in high school. Working under pressure has been proven to be beneficial in multiple studies and research mentioned in TED talks and many Ivy League universities such as Stanford and Berkeley. Many students have jobs and attend school, being forced to time manage in an more efficient manner.  However, this can be looked at in a positive light as students go into adulthood and choose a career path. This is because the skill of time managing will then be learned much sooner.

Most students start working at age sixteen, as it is the minimum age required at most companies. This is sophomore or junior year for most high school students, when the workload from school begins to get heavier.

“I’ve been working at Once upon a Child for a year, the biggest con would definitely be not having free weekends because that when I work my longest hours,” said Hannah Baldwin, senior.

Stress can be perceived in many ways when it comes to different circumstances. If a deadline for a project is a week away, several students claim it is more difficult to time manage the work compared to if the deadline were to be significantly sooner. Having a job takes up students’ time, making responsibilities like deadlines even more restricted. This can lead to further success in school or overly stressful situations.

“I feel like working under pressure sometimes helps me be more productive but if the workload is too much it’s just stressful,” said Baldwin.

Students apply for jobs for various reasons, ranging from wanting to make their own money to having to help support themselves or family based on their personal circumstance. Grady Elrod, English teacher had many different jobs during his high school and college years.

“To me it (having a job while in college) was not helpful in terms of managing my time–It definitely cut into study time– I really considered my first job to be a student,” said Elrod.

Other students claim that pressured work makes them work more efficiently.

“Usually under pressure I work better because I do things quickly,” said Maryann Aden, senior.

It is also evident that a majority of students excel in the courses they are most interested in, rather than the classes they are not as excited by.  Many teachers offered the idea that laid back classroom settings are more difficult to time manage for students. In many cases, it is when students enjoy the work they are completing, that their best effort and work is put forward.

“Sigmund Freud has a quote that I love that says ‘All that matters is love and work’ he doesn’t mean the kind of work that you hate doing, he means moving towards a goal that is bettering humanity and that make your life worthwhile,” said Elrod.