I gave up my after-school naps, my weekend nights with friends and parts of my summer to earn minimum wage at the local AMC theatre. My job absorbs about 20 hours of my week and nearly 40 hours during holiday breaks, but I still love my job, my coworkers, my managers and the perks.

I’ve only been employed there for seven months while a few of my coworkers have been there for over five years without seeing a raise.

In December 2018, when I had only worked there for four months, our minimum wage increased a dollar because of a corporate decision. Though we all were collectively happy, the five-year employees were upset it hadn’t come sooner for them.

In Illinois, the minimum wage is $8.25 per hour but a recent plan is changing that.

The proposal of raising Illinois’ minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025 passed in the Senate on Feb. 7 according to the Chicago Tribune.

I feel very lucky to be paid more than some of my peers, but I believe that a minimum wage job shouldn’t replace a full-time career.

Minimum wage should increase with inflation, not the cost of living because minimum wage jobs weren’t meant to be a livable income. There are serious potential downfalls in the idea.

For example employers might hire fewer workers and replace with machinery or be especially picky when it comes to skill-level or experience. Consumers might also see a price increase on products or a decrease in quality to adjust with their budgets. High schoolers also have a potential to drop out to work a full-time minimum wage job, according to Bizfluent.

But Chicago already has a higher minimum wage of $12 because of higher taxes on practically everything. So what would that mean for their minimum wage by 2025?

Chicago was already on track to increase to $13 on July 1. But discussion about Chicago’s wages also increasing were “ignored” according to the Chicago Tribune.

Illinois quickly jumped on approving the proposal without flushing out the details for each part of its populous state. All negatives should be considered before the passing the bill.

It’s hard to make the world easier for people without harming another, but increasing minimum wage is more disadvantageous.