On a sunny Sunday morning, sophomore Cole Kristofferson rolls up to My Gym — but not for leg day or chest day. It’s Kristofferson’s workday at the children’s activities center in Midtown Palo Alto. At My Gym, Kristofferson leads kids in energizing fitness games, gymnastics, arts and crafts and music games.
While some students use their weekends to catch up on sleep or relax, Kristofferson juggles school responsibilities and part-time jobs.
Between his job at My Gym, academics and baseball, Kristofferson said he rarely has any free time.
“I pretty much don’t have days off anymore,” Kristofferson said. “I’m either working, going to school, or playing baseball every day.”
Despite his exhausting schedule, he said that all of the work is worth the effort.
“It has taught me a lot of good skills,” Kristofferson said. “Not only working with kids, which is important, but also dealing with parents and learning how to handle real responsibilities.”
Freshman Tomas Marcello Madeira, who is a part-time soccer referee, said in order to balance work with school he ise careful with how he schedules his week.
“I manage my time by only taking the job opportunities that I can take, which is when I am not busy over the weekends.” Madeira said.
While he enjoys refereeing games, Madeira said it is not always an easy job.
“I have faced a couple of challenges such as refereeing a high-level team, where the game is faster and more competitive,” Madeira said. “There was a lot of pressure to make the right calls and keep both teams happy. Often, parents will disagree with a call and yell at me, regardless of whether they’re right or wrong.”
Despite the challenges from parents and players, Madeira said that the experience is rewarding.
“I think working as a student has helped me a lot by making money and taught me a lot about how committed you have to be to work,” Madeira said. “I’ve become more resilient to criticism, as I’m used to people yelling or talking down to me, and have learned to not take it personally. Refereeing has also strengthened my time-management skills because I have to balance my own soccer practice, games, schoolwork, and refereeing. Working this job has made me realize the importance of hard work, showing up on time, and being dependable.”
Librarian Sima Thomas said after-school jobs can provide students with valuable life skills.
“I think after-school jobs are an excellent way for young people to gain real-world experience and a more global understanding of society,” Thomas said. “A job also provides practice with time management skills and planning that will help an individual throughout their life.”
When she was in high school, Thomas said she learned soft skills by working at a diner and makeup salon.
“Both jobs not only provided pocket money and savings, but also gave me insight into working with all sorts of different colleagues and customers that helped me mature, develop independence and a more confident sense of self,” she said.
One thing to look out for though, she said is potentially unsafe work environments.
“I hope the restaurant scene is less rife with harassment today, especially towards young women, than it was when I was waitressing several decades ago,” Thomas said. “Work environments should be safe.”
For Kristofferson, having a job is all about gaining valuable life skills, real responsibility and time management. He said side-hustle experiences can shape students into more capable and independent young adults.
Kristofferson said, “Although the workload may be a little demanding, the whole thing is worthwhile due to the lessons learned, and especially the paychecks earned.”
