Unfiltered

Dear Unfiltered,

Should I get a job and quit football or keep playing football but not get a job?

~Conflicted

Dear Conflicted, 

Ah, the age-old question; to football, or not to football. One of the biggest questions posed to the playwright lovers of the 1600s. Shakespeare definitely knew what he was talking about. 

Sports are a big part of your life. Ask any athlete, and they’ll give you their copy and pasted spiel about how ‘sports changed their life’ and ‘I wouldn’t be where I was today without the experience’, and as cheesy as it sounds, they have a point. 

As someone who has played sports their whole life, I can attest to this. Now, I was never an all-star athlete. Being raised in a ‘try your best and have fun!’ family structure, I often spent my younger years hanging out on the field and picking flowers. As I grew older and hit middle school, I started to become more serious about sports, because, at my ripe old age of 13, I was basically an adult. I had my designated sport, and as far as a kid who’s picked up the sport for funsies goes, I was pretty good. I kept with the sport all through middle school, then for some reason, didn’t play my freshman year. I have regretted it ever since. 

Flash forward to now, I’m both an athlete and a worker. I work 24-hour weeks, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you’re balancing school, work, sports, and all the personal stuff, it takes a toll. On the flip side, it taught me how to efficiently manage my time, and how to slow down when I can tell I’m burning out. It takes a while to figure out that balance, but it comes more naturally as time goes on. 

Football is a fall sport. Most jobs hire in the spring or in the fall, and they hire at 14-16 depending on the place. If playing a sport and having a job is what’s on your mind, then the best advice I can give is to do both. If this is your first job, then try and focus more on finding a job for the summertime and after football season is over. Many jobs in today’s society are so desperate for workers that they are willing to work with you to maintain your employment while also getting the most out of your high school sports career. Jobs that are smaller, such as small businesses and little stores will most likely be your best bet, along with large chains such as Mcdonald’s and Wendy’s, although I wouldn’t recommend working for those places because it isn’t as personal as some other jobs, that’s also my personal preference. 

Overall, work will always be there; the experience that you gather in high school will stick with you for the rest of your life, the good and the bad moments alike. Making sure to embrace both of those is important for building your toolbox. Best of luck to you in your employment search!

-Unfiltered 

Disclaimer: This is not therapeutic advice. This is peer-to-peer advice. If you are experiencing something serious, please reach out to your guidance counselor:

manderson@salisburysd.org   or   amoyer@salisburysd.org 

or call these numbers if you would like to speak with someone: 

Suicide Hotline: 988

Abuse Hotline: 1.800.799.SAFE(7233) 

LGBTQ+ Hotline: 877.360.LGBT(5428)