by Jaice Mendoza-Macias
When we think of the labor force in the United States, the first image that pops up into our minds is not that of a 17 year-old. Often forgotten, the youth who work part-time jobs and go to school tend to have a very unique life experience when compared to their non-working peers. This is a story that centers around the working life of “Michael;” he works between 20-30hrs per week, all while attending high school as a full-time student. As we highlight his story, it is particularly note-worthy to emphasize his humility and desire to succeed using the tools his parents have provided him with. Michael understands that his parents(biological mother step-father) have sacrificed a lot to help build a steady foundation for him. This foundation, though, is not as steady as Michael would like. Currently Michael is “living in a mobile home complex and we’re not starving, but I mean there are still needs that get backed up and stuff like that.” In order to help satisfy those “needs” Michael chooses to work.
Michael’s parents use themselves as an example of what they don’t want for him. Michaels tells me that his “parents told me you gotta go to school you gotta do good ‘cus you don’t wanna end up like [us] cleaning houses or some arduous job.” Michael shares with me that despite the fact that his parents don’t want him to work some arduous job, he is currently doing just that
You know it’s these long shifts of dealing with the fryer, dealing with angry people and it’s just, I feel as though this isn’t what I wanna end up doing. So it really; It’s motivated me to do better so that I don’t have to stay where I am. I want it to stay a part-time job.
The reality he currently lives is the one that fuels his endeavors to go to college and attain a degree so that he doesn’t have to end up working a minimum-wage job. Michael knows that if he doesn’t stay focused he could easily end up working at a fast-food place and become stuck. Michaels life is very busy and balancing school with work becomes increasingly difficult for him. Michael tells me that on a typical work and school week he
“wake[s] up at around six am go to school until three pm and then usually I have work at four pm so I have to get picked up quickly at three. Drive home real quick, change shower, or shower change, and then try to get to work before four, and then work four to whatever hours they give me usually 8 or 9 uhm, clock out, go home, do homework if I have it shower, again and then go to sleep.”
Most youth in school don’t have to deal with such busy schedules, but Michael has learned to balance both work and school to help him as he prepares for life after high school. Unlike most youth who are not thinking about families, Michael explains that he “want[s] to earn enough for my family so that my kids don’t have to worry about going to work in high school.” Michael has no children, but his mentality is one that looks to the future. He wants to make sure that he learns from his parents’ lessons to ensure a better future for a family he is yet to have.
Having now worked about 6months at Jack in the Box, Michael explains that is has served as an eye-opening experience “this year I really see what the world is and I see that this job at Jack in the Box, that’s what’s waiting for me if I don’t succeed, if I don’t do good enough in school.” As a result Michael makes certain that work does not become his central focus, rather a means to an end. Stories like Michael’s provide us a glimpse into the life of an employed high school student who constantly strives to make his living condition better. Michael is an exemplary student that has managed to balance work and study and his story serves to highlight the often overlooked struggles of working-class youth on a path to higher education.