Everyone who works a part-time job after school or has in the past has probably felt like they’ve had a long day. Going from school to work can feel like you never have a chance to rest or do homework. There’s no way you’re working too much, right? Maybe not.

“Missouri’s Child Labor Law applies to youth under the age of 16. Youth ages 16 to 18 are not covered by Missouri’s Child Labor Law,” Lauren Schad said, who is the Director of Communications for the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

This means that even though you are a minor from the ages of 16-17, you can work like an adult. There are no limits on what times you can and cannot work, and as per Missouri’s Labor Law that applies to both children and adults, you are not required a break or lunch of any kind. In contrast, nine states require a paid 10-minute break per four consecutive hours worked.

Junior Tanner Bovaconti has experience with the lack of labor regulation in Missouri. He’s worked at Imo’s Pizza in Winghaven as a pizza maker since March and averages about 30 hours a week, while being a full-time high school student.

“I close just about every day that I work, which is usually a 6-7 hour shift,” Bovaconti said. “It’s not uncommon for me to get there at 4 p.m. and I don’t leave until 10:30 p.m.”

A 6.5 hour shift may seem normal for a weekend, but Bovaconti repeats this process up to three times in a school week while also working almost every Saturday and Sunday.

Despite the heavy expectations he has set for himself by balancing both school and many hours of work, he says that it has no effect on his performance in class.

Junior Amy Do shares a similar lifestyle while working at her parents’ nail salon in Weldon Spring called Pro Nail. Although she is technically not an employee, her parents compensate her for the time that she works.

“Over the summer I would sometimes work 45 hours in a week doing the kid’s and teenager’s nails at the salon,” Do said.

To do official nail work and be a real employee, Do would have to obtain certain health licenses which she is not old enough to have yet.

On top of long hours, she considers it to be a much more intense job compared to a normal high schooler’s part time job.

“You have to have good social skills and be able to interact with the customer, talk to them,” Do said.

A strenuous work environment coupled with long hours has cultivated some strong feelings of workers’ rights for her. She supports an increase in the minimum wage and a requirement of hourly pay, and most importantly, that school should come first.

Senior Cameron Tabers works at Papa Murphy’s on Highway K. Like most employees of national chain restaurants, he is offered a break when he works, but it is unpaid so most employees choose not to take it.

“The longest shift I ever had to work was a double, it was about 11 or 12 hours. I got to take two breaks that day and they were both like 30 minutes each,” Tabers said.

He is also a member of the varsity soccer team here at Liberty, and during the season he ran into troubles balancing his soccer schedule and work schedule.

“I used to get scheduled four days a week during the soccer season, and it was a pain to trade all of the shift or do whatever to make it all fit,” said Tabers.

Now that soccer season is over, he still tries to concentrate on school during the weekdays and work a lot on the weekends.

Even though it hurts, It’s the cost of doing business. Take your break and enjoy your time, a job shouldn’t be something you hate.