Senior Katie Tolan juggles a lot more than a job and school. A car payment, clothes and gas keep her from venturing out as much as she’d like.
“I wish I didn’t have to buy my own stuff. It’s not what I want to spend my money on,” Tolan said.
Tolan works 15-20 hours a week and makes $8.50, just 25 cents over minimum wage. Her job at Papa Saverio’s in Aurora pays for her car payment of $227 and, on alternating months, her insurance as well.
Junior Abby West, who is recently employed is responsible for paying for the gas in her car in order to relieve her parents from extra finances.
“I recently got a job, so I will have money, it just sucks that I have to spend my work money on gas,” West said.
West works at Kuiper’s Family Farm on the weekends and makes minimum wage. To fill up her car, it takes around $60.
Minimum wage workers tend to be young, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Workers under the age of 25 make up about half of those paid the federal minimum wage or less.
According to a poll of 150 randomly selected Kaneland students performed on Sept. 1, 75 percent of students said that their families expect them to buy more of their own things such as clothes, gas and music than before due to the recession.
Among the most common things students are expected to pay for are music downloads and entertainment expenses such as movie tickets, as well as computer equipment, gas and car insurance. Only 11 percent said that their parents did not expect them to buy anything.
Senior Nicholette LeBlanc is among the students who feel no consequences due to the recession.
“[The recession] doesn’t make me worried at all because my parents still spoil me and pay for everything,” LeBlanc said.
But for most students, that isn’t the case. Two percent of students must contribute to housing, food and bills, while 35 percent of students are expected to pay for gas and entertainment.
“My parents have become more money-conscious and expect me to pay for more things,” junior Gabby Aguirre said.
Not only do many students pay for a majority of their social activities, gas and clothes, some families have been devastated to the point where the teens help support the finances of the household.
Nearly three percent of students were responsible for purchasing their toiletries.
Several students polled responded that they are helping to support their families.
“I can’t buy as much as I need to pay for things and I lend my parents money,” one junior wrote. “I don’t want to get kicked out of our house.”
Another junior wrote that the recession had affected his family life.
“It’s created an uneasy tension in our house,” Junior Esai Ponce said, “I’m worried I won’t be able to make a career out of any job opportunities.”
Some students expressed fear. One junior girl wrote about her concerns about potentially becoming homeless.
“We are losing our house,” she wrote. “My mom lost her job and is now getting paid very little per hour. My parents are getting a divorce, and sometimes we can’t afford all of our groceries.”
Beyond the devastating effects the recession has had on some students’ families, it’s also causing many students to change college and career plans.
What are the most common plans? Many students said they were planning on attending a two-year community college and then transferring in order to save money, something not all said they would have considered in a better economic climate.
“I’m planning on going to a community college to get my general education out of the way for less money,” junior Andrew Tobin said.
Senior Elizabeth Patterson works five days a week, from 4 p.m.-11 p.m. She buys her clothes, is saving for a car, and is responsible for her toiletries.
Counselor Anna Lamica says having a job can have both negative and positive effects on the employed students.
“When they’re responsible for buying their own things, priorities change and they put more effort into work and that takes a toll on their schoolwork,” Lamica said.