Term+3+Assignment+3+Distinction+Essays


 * __Term 3 Assignment 3 Distinction Essays__**

It has been contended that students should not work during the holidays. However, I disagree. For secondary students to work during the holidays, it may bring around many benefits in its own right. Students can not only learn various work ethics, but also learn about the true value of money, among many other things. Students who can afford to work during the holidays should work, because it would enable them to gain work experience and they may use it as a reference, later when they graduate from school. Working during the holidays would enable them to have a head start in the working life, and pick up various life skills and knowledge that cannot be learnt from the textbook. If a student was to work at a fast food chain, work ethics such as customer service, and how to politely deal with unreasonable customers, would more than likely be picked up by the student. Another example is that if a student works at a pet store, he or she would probably learn new skills such as how to properly manage pets, how to take stock of goods, and how to use a cashier counter, seeing that many of the part-time workers have no fixed position and are able to work in several different departments to gain experience. Part-time jobs may also instill values such as discipline and determination in a student, through the possibly long and inflexible working hours which are no stranger to part-time holiday jobs. If they work in retail or any other place that deals with holiday shoppers, the students will learn some patience and how to deal with irritated or abusive customers. If students were to start working during the holidays in secondary school, they would have less problems fitting in with the working society when they get older, as fresh-graduates who have had no prior working experience may struggle to get used to the working environment, as they may be much more demanding and rigid than life as a student. For people who have had worked during the holidays previously, the working environment would be more familiar to them, and they would already have had the mental preparation for whichever job they may have chosen, making it easier for them to cope with the demands when they start work Working during the holidays to earn their keep would also enable them to learn about the true value of money. A large majority of Singaporean secondary students are raised in families who have enough income to provide comfortable lifestyles for them. These students, having been raised in such comfortable, may not understand the true value of money, Most of them would not even blink an eye before splurging money on unnecessary and overly-priced luxurious goods, just to keep up with the trends, as their parents provide them with the money. This may pose a huge problem in the future, when they have to start working full-time jobs. The majority of people who have not had any prior working experience would struggle to keep up with the working life as they would have to start managing money, with the extra weight of having to pay rent or taxes on their paychecks. They may also find it difficult to accustom themselves to possibly more frugal lifestyles, and not being able to buy expensive items that they were used to. Furthermore, as they are not earning money through their own hard work, they would definitely appreciate their money more and think twice about splurging on unnecessary items. This may also enable to appreciate the hard work which their parents have put in to support the family, as they are able to experience the sheer effort needed to earn their pay. If students were to work during the holidays, they would be earning extra money for themselves. For poorer families, the money earned may be used to supplement the family’s income. For students from average-income families, the money could be used to pay for the things they like, allowing them to cherish it more, seeing as they have bought it with their hard earned money. It would also make them less dependant on their families, allowing them to gain independence. Some may say that secondary students who work during the holidays may be forced to juggle both their schoolwork and their job, a challenging task indeed. However, students who work during the holidays could finish their schoolwork before starting to attend their part-time jobs. During long holidays like the June or December holidays, students would probably idle their time away after completing their work, doing meaningless and mundane activities like lazing at home or constantly hanging out at shopping malls. Rather than wasting time during the holidays, why not allow them to pick up a part-time job to learn some new skills or work ethics that will greatly benefit them in the future? However, some exceptions do apply, and students who are weak in their academic area should not work during the holidays, but instead study at home during the holidays to keep up with the syllabus. Nevertheless, these people still remain in the minority and I do believe that secondary students who can afford to work should work during the holidays, as it brings around so many advantages that would greatly help them in their future endeavors. The advantages that part-time holiday jobs bring around clearly outweigh the disadvantages. Hence, part-time holiday jobs for secondary students prove to be beneficial to the students, and they should definitely take it up.
 * Carisa Lam (2) Qn 3: "Secondary school students should not work during the holidays." Do you agree?**


 * Lubin Chee (12) Qn 3:**

3. Nowadays, it is not outlandish to see many teenagers who are working part-time as promoters or a sales person during the school holidays. However, some parents do not allow their children to work part-time because they have the fallency of thinking that their children are not mature enough to work. In my opinion, I disagree with this statement and agree that secondary school students should work during the holidays. Not all teenagers spend time during school holidays studying. In our modern world where both parents work, they would probably rather spend time hanging around Malls, Cinemas or even questionable friends. Parents provide them with the means anyway. So why should they work? When secondary students work, even if only part-time during school holidays, they would be accustomed to earning some money. They will learn how to properly manage their hard-earned cash, which is a very important learning curve for adult life. They will also come to the realisation that nothing is for free and money is hard to come by. Contrary to their thinking that parents are loaded with money to dish out at will, they will come to respect their parents more once they realise that working set hours a day isn't at all fun. Thus, why not start working at a young age before getting influenced that money drops from the sky and you could just use it freely. Thus, secondary students working teaches them reponsibility, maturity and readiness to take on the big dangerous world full of strangers. Another advantage of doing part-time work would be that the students gain more knowledge and skills from the working society and they will get to know how the business world is like even before they head into the working society. This is good as it will give them more exposure and they will definitely be more well-rounded than those who do not take up part-time jobs. An example is if a timid in nature student works as a sales person, he learns the life skill of communication towards other people. He learns to interact more with others more easily while explaining the products to the customers. By having this skill, we could also use it in school when presenting projects to students, teachers, employees or even your boss. In the long run, having life skills is beneficial for your entire life whether it comes to presenting or just having the confidence you need. Thus these skills could not be learnt just by sitting in a mere classroom and listening to the teacher speak. We must be exposed to the society and the business world and why not obtain these skills at a young age just by working. Students working part-time can also help strengthen your own resume and your testimonial. Having to work at sales shops, one does not just learn life skills. It also stengthens your resume where you say that you have experience working as a sales person. This, along with your studies certificate, can ensure a better chance in getting the job if you were to take being a sales person as a future job. Even though studies is just as important, experience in a job provides one with a competitive edge as what is the benefit of being only book-smart? Thus, working part-time gives students interaction and experience, which would come in handy in the long run. It may be argued that it is better for a student to rest in the holidays, spend time with their family or use the additional time to study. However a job provides opportunities for exposure to the business world, enriches one's life experience, cultivates and develops responsibility and hones leadership skills, learning skills and application skills. We are now on the way to the working life. We are preparing ourselves to work in the industry of the future, by learning the essential skills that we need in the future. But is all this enough? Students also need to learn life skills such as collaboration skills with colleaguesm work etiquette and social skills in the workplace. Through vacation jobs, stuents also learn the importance of planning their time well, which is an essential life skill. All these lifeskills would provide the student with a headstart in future when they embark on their career. In conclusion, secondary students learn more than mere words in books by working. They learn life skills which cannot be acquired just by reading books. Thus, taking part-time jobs provide secondary students experiences that we cannot get in the classroom such as the real working environment and the social skills required to maintain a good working relationship with colleagues.