As this school year comes to an end, students of all grade levels are looking for ways to make some extra money over the summer. Students, like ourselves, are looking forward to entering the workforce and gaining some extra responsibility. A lot of students want jobs to have some freedom and be able to not rely on their parents as much, but some students also need the money to pay for their own gas and insurance. As high schoolers, we thrive off of freedom and a job is a great way to get a good taste of it. No matter the job, washing dishes in a kitchen, working on a farm, selling ice cream, washing cars, or maybe even starting your own business mowing lawns, jobs are great ways to break out from your normal life and find something that you like to do.

To open the discussion a little, we interviewed two students at OHS regarding summer jobs and their importance. “I think it’s good to have a job because you learn how to be independent,” says Orange High freshman Malakhi Harris. “I am looking forward to working and I do want a summer job.” We also interviewed Bryce Guinness, another Orange High freshman. “It’s good for people to earn money as a teenager so you don’t have to rely on your parents as much,” he says. “It gives you a lot of independence.” As seen, it is in students’ wants and needs to be independent and have money of our own to do what we want. It allows us to gain a new sense of freedom.