If you ask around Hinsdale Central, you’ll find that most high school students here don’t have jobs. In a town that’s known for it’s high average income, it’s not hard to have your parents support you while in high school, or even throughout college. However, talking to the students that do hold their own jobs, you might find how satisfying it is to make your own money.

Junior Nicko Ledesma, recently applied for an received a job at Goodwill.

“I applied because I hate asking my parents for money, and it was a way to show them that I’m growing up and proving I can do things on my own and work for the things I want,” Ledesma says.

Sam Seymour, senior, has been working at Jane’s Blue Iris in Hinsdale since the summer before her junior year. She sites the same reason as Ledesma for applying for her current job: she didn’t want to have to rely on her parents.

Some think it would be tough to keep a regular job while still going to school five times a week, but a lot of employers are very understanding of a teenager’s schedule.

Nicko says that he,“works different times on different days so it can vary from month to month.”

On the other hand, having too much time can be a reason to apply for a job. Alex Tannebaum, senior, applied for a job at Kramer Foods in Hinsdale three months ago because he had too much time on his hands.

Having a job can help you mature as a person. Not only are you responsible for your schedule and your work. You might even learn how to deposit your own checks instead of having your parents do it for you when you get that check from your estranged, great aunt on your birthday once a year.

Ledesma says that he has a savings account along with a normal checking account.

“I plan on going to college,” Ledesma says, “and [the money] is just there to help me along the way.”

His parents are supportive of this, as he says he doesn’t use his salary to pay for everything, and his parents still help out.

“They insist I just make to save,” he says.

On the other hand, Seymour will take money out of her checking account to occasionally pay for gas, food, shopping, or emergencies; however, she said that she tries to limit her spending.

Tannebaum says he even plans on investing the money that he’s earned so far.

Having a job in high school can help your figure out what you want to pursue as a future career. Seymour says that because of all she’s learned working at Jane’s Blue Iris, including spending hours learning Latin names of flowers and plants, she’s started to look into studying environmental science in college.

Even though Ledesma works at a thrift store, and doesn’t really see this as a future career, he still sites his work as learning experiences: teamwork and responsibility for others to state a few aspects.

Although juggling school work and a job at the same time can seem like a difficult feat for a high school student, it ultimately proves to be a great learning experience, and why not earn some extra cash on the side?