As the school year has started, students again begin to deal with the commitments of sports and after-school jobs. Both can be a source of stress in many high schoolers’ lives, especially on top of the stress of homework and grades. Both sports and jobs have their pros and cons, however, jobs are ultimately a more beneficial use of time to help students build social skills and save money for the future.  

Sports do not only have an athletic aspect to them, but also a social one, which can make doing sports appealing among high school students. According to a survey on EducationWeek, 57 percent of high school students participated in a sport in 2021. Socializing with other students in high school is important for learning how to talk with new people, which will be crucial for the future. 

One’s physical health also increases when playing sports, which is a major benefit after sitting down in school for around eight hours, five days a week. Similar to regular exercise, sports can improve mood which improves the mental health of students. But although sports can be beneficial to students’ health and level of activity, sports also put athletes at risk for moderate to severe injuries.

The competitive nature of many sports can put pressure on players to keep going and get better, even when it is clear they need a break. Even though mood is improved through physical activity, the pressure can decrease athletes mental health and cause them to not even enjoy playing the sport anymore.

On the other hand, many jobs help students build important social skills, such as problem solving, collaboration, and communicating with strangers. Learning how to do an interview, work with new people, and being in a new environment prepares students for not only jobs in the future, but also complex social interactions.

For high school students, part-time jobs prepare students for the future, even if where they work is not what they want to do career-wise. Jobs in high school are usually the first time students make their own money and that allows for learning personal responsibility. Saving money benefits students in the future, especially if they want to go to college, and is an important skill to have in life. 

Like sports, after school jobs are similarly difficult to juggle with school because of interference with after school work, depending on the days students are working. It is easy to get behind on schoolwork when one is scheduled for multiple shifts at work. 

Though the two responsibilities require different types of commitment, both sports and jobs teach similar skills that benefit high school students, specifically teaching organization skills. Organization is key to not becoming overworked with all the different aspects going on in students’ lives. If a student can appropriately manage multiple after school activities in high school, that student will likely have an easier time balancing numerous adult responsibilities after graduation. But for students struggling to decide which commitment is the best use of their time, working a part-time job provides value experience and financial independence that will set students up for future success.