A study taken by Citigroup and Seventeen Magazine has found that “almost 80% of students take at least a part time job during the school year.” Although this includes both college students and high school students, there are more high school students that were counted in the survey to get the nearly 80% total. Another article written by US News states that “High school sports participation increases for the 22^nd straight year, as 55.5% of high school students participate in at least one sport each year.”

Education has become more and more important in young people’s lives as time moves on. Most students want to carry on their education to get a good degree and make money in their future. Every student athlete knows that school is more challenging when a sport is put into the mix, not to mention if you have a job as well. As it turns out, more and more students are beginning to take this difficult path, but why?

At Jackson-Milton, most students who are old enough to drive to school do so. This usually costs them money in gas and other insurance and payments, and most students in high school with jobs agree that they have jobs to pay for their bills. Some students also appreciate the extra money that they earn to spend on themselves with friends.

Sports are becoming more popular as well, especially after the 2015-16 year of total domination in football and girls basketball at Jackson-Milton. Students agree that sports do put pressure on the grind between sports and school. Tyler Phillips, a football player, says, “Even though the sport consumes most of the summer and every day after school, the bond that is formed with teammates is worth everything. It’s something you can’t get by just going to school everyday.”

All in all, in today’s age, students in high school are finding themselves more busy than they have ever been. Finding the balance between sports, school, and work may be a difficult one, but to some, sports and working may be a necessity in their lives.