Teens are working now more than ever. As more places are allowing 16 year olds to work, more teens are tackling the struggle of working and school.

“School work comes first no matter what,” Rebecca Greene, so., said, who works at the YMCA. “I get home, I’m eating and doing homework at the same time and trying to get things done. If I can’t do that, then I have a study hall to get the rest of my stuff done.”

Choosing a job is a lot harder than it seems. Not only do you have to work hard, but if you hate your job, it’s tough to motivate yourself to do good at school and work combined.

“When I get home, it’s like 10:00, I eat and take a shower then I do homework from 10:30 to 2:00,” Abbie Drake, sr., said, who works at Hyvee. “I’m always on the go.”

It’s important to find a job that involves your interests, as you don’t want to be stuck working a dead-end job that you hate going to.

“[My job] is a lot of interaction and it revolves around swimming, which I love, so it works for me,” Greene said. “I would go for a job that really exploits your passion. If you do a sport, maybe find a sport-related job.”

“Make sure that you feel like you could handle the extra stress,” Drake said. “Also, don’t just apply because your best friend has a job, do it because you want to.”