Getting a job is something that many University Prep students aspire to do, but either don’t have the time or they don’t even know how to get started. Whether it is getting a job to earn some extra spending money, or it is a job that may provide experience for future interests, becoming part of the workforce can have many benefits for students. 

One of the most common jobs for young workers is in the restaurant business. Freshman Miller Weimann has been waiting since he was 6 years old for a job at his family friend’s pizza place. 

 “I went to the opening tasting party and everything for the restaurant. I’ve kind of been involved since it opened in 2013,” Weimann said.

Weimann works at Stoneburner, an Italian restaurant in Ballard. He got his job through his connecti

ons with the owner and manager.

“When I turned 14, that’s the legal working age. So I was like, ‘Hey, Jonathan, do you mind if I come work?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, for sure. Come by on Saturday, and we can train you,’” Weimann said.

According to college counselor Britten Nelson, acquiring a job earlier on can have many advantages.

“I think extracurricular involvement has so many different ways of benefiting someone,” Nelson said. “Whether that’s a student who’s super well rounded and does a little bit of everything, or somebody who maybe somebody who wants to narrow their focus, I think a job is a great way to complement an overall resume.”

Having a job takes up a lot of time and becomes a large part of students’ lives. According to Weimann, work is a large part of his identity, and something he appreciates.

“It’s like one of my main activities and something that I’m really proud of,” Weimann said. “But I think it is my favorite activity that I do just because it is such a different community.”

A rabbi introduced senior Talia Lavine to her job working at a synagogue. As a senior, LeVine needs to strike the correct balance between work and school, as college applications were a main factor of the year for seniors.

“There’s some weeks where I’m like, ‘I just can’t work this week, like I have like four hours of homework minimum a

 night. But I’ve become pretty good at balancing my schedule and figuring out when it’s reasonable to work,” LeVine 

said.

Despite how much Weimann enjoys his work, there are many things he has to take into consideration to maintain a work life balance.

“It’s definitely a challenge. My work starts at 5:30 at night so I can usually get my parents to drive me home. I’ll be home at like 3:30 or 4:00 depending on when I pick my brother up, and then I only have like an hour and a half between then and work to either rest or do homework,” Weimann said.

Balancing school and extracurricular activities with everyday life is tough. Nelson finds it very impressive when students are able to juggle all of those activities with a full time job on top of it.

“I can’t imagine a lot of students have that ability to keep working during the school year, especially when you throw in a sports schedule. Or you want to go to the school dance, and you can’t because you’re working Saturday night shift,” said Nelson. “I think it’s really, really hard to balance all of that.”