As expenses rise around the world, teens find payment for necessities difficult. Gas prices skyrocket, car insurance for underage drivers seem impossible to pay, and the pressure of owning the latest technology is extreme.

Parents’ leniency towards an additional payment runs thin, so many find the solution to their money problems in jobs.

“I work at a place called Richard Heath Associates,” Derek Wear, ’07, said. “It’s a warehouse where I pack boxes full of things like brochures so they can be shipped to other companies.”

Many assume all teenagers over the age of sixteen can find a job, yet some businesses do not accept employees under the age of eighteen. Minors require a job permit to submit an application to any small business.

“I’m applying to places but no one’s called me back,” Sarah Bonnar, ’07, said. “I’ve gotten job offers because they thought I was older, but when they found out I was underage, they wouldn’t hire me. Right now, I am only a tutor after school.”

Most teenagers desire independence to make their own income, but some found a job for the price of their grades.

“I can see how someone with a harder part-time job could not keep up their grades,” Bonnar said. “If they aren’t responsible, they won’t know how to balance things.”

Some use their income as an investment for college and form of transportation.

“After this semester, I’m moving out,” Wear said. “I make $8.50 an hour at my job so I can save up for when I move out. I am going to stay with my job as long as I can, since I make a few dollars more than minimum wage.”

Kylar Neefe, ’10, resents the fact part-time jobs are not offered to underclassmen.

“I am only 14,” Neefe said. “If there was a place that would hire me, I would take it. The only problem would be that I couldn’t drive there.”

Wear finds that a job can allow students to see what life may be like after high school and college.

“Kids looking for a job should not give up if they don’t one at first,” Wear said. “It’s good to get a job, because it can teach responsibility. You have set time that you have to work, and you have to figure out how to balance that and working around school hours.”