Having a job in our teens is an added responsibility in our lives. We choose to get one to fulfill our own needs, to have some extra cash or to support one’s self or family. Or we choose not to get one because there’s no need for it or there’s no time.

The number of teenagers who have some sort of job while in school has dropped from nearly 40 percent in 1990 to a mere 20 percent today, according to the Washington Post. This may be due to various factors, like that students have become more involved in school, other organizations, or don’t have the need to get one.

Having a job is an act of balancing school, friends or family, and work. And at times one begs for more attention than the other and it can become overbearing. But having a job teaches someone to have time management and people skills. We get to go on to college already having some sort of job experience and have some sort of advantage.

However, finding a job can be difficult. Some places require the applicant to be over the age of 18 or have some sort of previous experience. Having to draft up a resume and not having any idea what to do or what to say or how prepare for your interview can prove to be an obstacle. And even the thought of having to deal with a terrible customer can scare some people away from getting a job.

Before, people used to have a part time job to help pay for college and the problem now is that with a part time job we can only pay a minimal amount of college tuition with the money we get over the summer. In 1978, students were able to pay for a year’s worth of college tuition on just a summer full time job, compared to now, where students have work all year full time job and keep up with their studies, according to attn. Even if a student kept this job over the school year, it still isn’t enough to cover the costs of further education.

At times having a job can be unappealing: less time to spend with friends, less weekends to sleep in on. The job can be a drag and uneventful, or it’s just an awful experience. But it’s not always like this. Having a job can teach you a lot. It can be a way of networking with people that can help you in the future. It can teach someone how to manage certain situations.

Having a job is your own decision; it shouldn’t be anyone else’s. If you feels ready to get one, take it, because you don’t know what experiences you’ll get. It’s just a matter of time management.