Term+3+Assignment+3

School. It is a place for education, for one to learn about various subjects and build his or her own character. Taking up a part-time job during the school holidays will bring about various opportunities for one to improve one’s character. Hence, I disagree that secondary school students should not work during the holidays. First of all, many of the students today do not really understand the value of money, not knowing how hard it is to earn a dollar. They spend a lot of money on merchandises that will end up as junk in ten years time. For example, computer games, gaming credits, posters of Korean boy bands, etc. They do not value the pocket money their parents have given to them. In fact, many students actually spend money without a second thought of saving it. A very common everyday example would be at MacDonald’s. At MacDonald’s there are actually student meals available. There is an approximate 20% discount for students, but this only applies to the simpler burgers. Now, how often is it that we see students actually saving money by purchasing these student meals? Rarely. Tue majority of students go for the more expensive meals with the less simplistic burgers, be it for popularity or taste. This just shows the kind of mindset that the majority of our students in Singapore have. They do not know the value of money, or the difficulty of earning a dollar. Taking up a part-time job will actually educate majority of the secondary school students on the value of money, the amount of hard work their parents have put in to earn that dollar. When the students first receive their paycheck, they will recall all the tears, sweat and effort invested to earn that single paycheck. This will in turn educate them on the value of money and the difficulty of earning a dollar as they have experienced how it is like to earn their very own money themselves. With this, the students will think twice before spending money in the future and be more financially savvy. This is considered as an improvement on one’s character to cultivate the habit of not splurging unnecessarily. Another possible improvement in one’s character that can be achieved by taking up a part-time job during the holidays is the instilment of responsibility. When they are in their part-time job, they will be more self-aware of their actions as every single action they make will in fact affect their paycheck. In addition to my previous point, taking up a part-time job during the holidays can bring the students some short-term advantages. When they take up part-time jobs they would be earning money for themselves. Most of the part-time jobs during the school holidays offer a paycheck ranging from 500 dollars to 1000 dollars. They will be better off financially compared to the other classmates during that period of time. Further more, this money earned can be used to fund for their personal laptops when they advance to universities. There are many uses for the sum of money earned. However, since the students should have known the importance of money once they have received their paycheck, I do not believe they will waste it on worthless merchandises as some may argue. For example, if the students become a part-time waiter, he will know that it is his responsibility to serve the food to the customer before it starts to go cold or stale and provide good customer service. In the course of his or her part-time job, the students will start to learn the importance of completing assigned tasks to them on time. This is something that is extremely important for their future careers and cannot be taught in school through the use of textbooks. Not only learn more about responsibility, they will also be more self-aware of their actions. Through his or her part-time job, the students will also learn that their actions will affect the people around them and they will be more cautious not to commit mistakes and also to be more responsible for themselves and their mistakes. Because if they don’t in the course of their part-time job, they will lose their job or paycheck. Further more, by taking a part-time job, students can pick up several useful life skills like communication skills. When students take up the part-time job of a sales-assistant (or anything along that genre) they learn ways to persuade the customers to purchase a product, how to explain to the customers about the product, influential skills, etc. For example, when the student is working in a shopping centre like courts, he is given countless amounts of chances to develop his persuasive and influential skills when interacting with the customers. He has to give them reasons why the product is good, why it should be bought from there and why it is better than other products sold elsewhere. This provides them a platform to pick up essential skills to be a future leader in their career. Some may argue that taking a part-time job will add on to the stress the students are already facing from their Co-curriculum activities (CCA) commitments and holiday assignments. However, I strongly believe that with good time management, taking up a part-time job would not be too stressful for students. Further more, when they take up a part-time job, they will also learn more about effective time management. They will learn how to make time off their bust schedule and this is nearly impossible during the school terms. Hence, the holidays would be the best time for students to engage in part-time jobs and build their character. In conclusion, the pros clearly outweigh the cons. Hence, it is actually an excellent idea for Secondary school students to take up part-time jobs as one can only reap benefits that come with it. -Lai yuen 22/30 During the school holidays, there are many things that a student could do to keep himself occupied. Some may just stay at home and rest while others may go shopping, or hang out with friends. There are some secondary school students who choose to work part-time during the school holidays. But should students work during school holidays? Well, I agree.

The advantage of taking a part-time job is that a student will gain working experience. This working experience will give a student a definite leg up as the experience may be used a reference in the futurewhen they look for a job, enhancing their employability. There are cases where the previous bosses would give a recommendation letter to the next employer, allowing a person to have a much higher chance of getting a dream job. Hence, having a job during the holidays would allow the student to have a better future, instead of wasting precious time at home.

Students who work would also possess better time-management skills and have more confidence than those who do not work. In addition to offering a pay, some independence and satisfaction, a part time job can provide teenagers with both training and experience. Working teaches students about responsibility and can also reinforce what they had learnt from school. There are many students in Singapore who work as salesmen during the holidays. This will hone the student’s oral skills develop confidence and when they had made a deal, they would gain a sense of satisfaction and feel proud of themselves. Hence, working will improve the skills and knowledge of a student.

It may also help students to select a suitable job for them in the future. For students who are not sure on whichever career path they would want to follow, working during the holidays can give them a preview of different working environments, which may help them make a more informed decision in the future. They would also be able to learn how difficult it is to earn money. Hence, the student will learn to save up and be more considerate towards their parents.

Some may say that working will lead to poorer academic results as the student will be distracted from their studies. Well, students could strike a balance between their schoolwork and their jobs. As most of the students do not work everyday and the whole day,they will still have time to study. Moreover, a research in the united states has shown that high school students who work has a higher average point (2.72) than those who are not working(2.69).

Some paents also worry that students will face too much stess if they work. They can shorten their working hours and find someone to speak to them about the stress. Also students who face too much stress over their work are minorities compared to those who are working. Students who work will gain advantages such as job experience, gain skills and previews of jobs that others would not have. As long as one strikes a balance they will not lose anything from working. Hence, students should work during the holidays.

-Lucas 21/30