Is working Spuds Really Worth It

During harvest season, high school students trade their normal school routine for 14-hour shifts in potato fields/ cellars. Jane Wood and Eliana Baeza are two students who choose to take on the long hours while trying to balance school.

“The hardest part isn’t just the physical work, it’s staying mentally focused when you’re standing in the cellar for 14 hours straight with dust flying everywhere,” Wood said. “You rely on the money you knew you were going to get. When everyone is locked in and working together, the time goes by faster and you realize that it might not be so bad.”

Taking time off from classes during spuds can easily put a student behind, requiring clear communication with teachers to stay caught up on homework. Baeza, who is her first time working spuds, missed three days of school for harvest but managed to keep her grades steady despite loss of free time.

“Working spuds didn’t really affect my grades, but the hardest part was definitely just the long hours,” Baeza said. “To stay motivated, I just kept listening to music, and I was actually thinking about food for when I got home. I didn’t care about missing out on hanging out, I just wanted money.”

The job comes with constant weather changes, moving from freezing cold mornings to hot afternoons in the dirt. For anyone thinking about working next year, Wood says getting through it comes down to a simple mindset.

“Invest in good comfy clothes,” Wood said. “It’s cold, hot, dirty, and exhausting at first, but if you put your head down and put in the effort, you’ll get through it and the paycheck is totally worth it.”