By the time students hit high school, they’ve heard the phrase “school is your job” more times than they can count. For some students, this is not the case. Nowadays, some businesses hire as young as 15.

Jobs can be a huge help to students, from giving them freedom to allowing them to save up for bigger things in their futures, like cars and college.

“In order for me to drive my car I had to get a job so that way I could pay insurance,” Cinemark employee and senior Keegan Brown said. “My mom told me I had to get a job if I wanted to drive and I didn’t have to drive but I wanted to, so we both came [to the conclusion] and knew I had to get a job.”

Brown began working at the movie theater chain’s Vista Ridge location back in November of 2014 and has been employed there ever since.

“I work 15 to 20 hours a week cleaning theaters, selling concessions and selling tickets,” Brown said

Many jobs only require 20 hours a week for high schoolers, but even that amount can cause stress.

“I think [the stress is] more out school,” Brown said. “It’s hard to figure out when to do homework and things. I think it’s added some stress.”

For some students, jobs can cause problems when added to already extensive extracurricular and social schedules.

Junior Raegan Lawrence works at the Whataburger on Denton Tap three days a week and averages about 15 to 16 hours.

“I have had problems since starting work,” Lawrence said. “I realize that sometimes I’m a person that takes on more than I can chew and I feel like work stresses me out more.”

Junior Dawson Phillips works as a sales associate doing cashier and work on the sales floor at Banana Republic in Grapevine Mills Mall, and he works about 20 hours a week. He is also the junior class parliamentarian and participates heavily in Student Council.

“It’s definitely a little bit of a challenge,” Phillips said. “Especially getting home really late, like 11:30, whenever I work.”

Time management can be the main cause of stress with many students not having developed the skills to manage work, school, extracurriculars and friends.

“Since I’m in theater, after school it’s two hours every day and so some of the shifts after school start earlier,” Brown said. “I have to get someone to cover my hour and then I have to come in right after rehearsal so it’s a lot of work and less sleep.”

Between 40 hours of school and the extra 20 many jobs add a week on top of other activities they are involved in, students can lose time for other important things.

“There are sometimes where my friends will make up a plan right on the dot to go do something and I’m like ‘I’m working so I can’t,’” Brown said. “That’s kind of hard.”

While jobs can be stressful, they also teach students vital life skills they need later on.

“I like having a job because it made me kind of branch out, meet new people, have to interview and kind of gave me a step into adulthood,” Brown said.

Even though work can cut into free time for friends and other activities, Phillips said it will benefit in the long run.

“I definitely think it’s worth it,” Phillips said. “Through jobs, first of all, you meet people you normally wouldn’t because if you just stay and make friends through your high school, you miss out. You’re not going to get an opportunity to work with adults. It’s good socially for you and also [for improving] time management skills.”