Daily life in Rosewood revolves around Ali’s disappearance (and her return), so homework, career dreams, and focus often seem to fall by the wayside. But even though the main characters on Pretty Little Liars are committed to fighting A and solving this evil mystery, they still make time for studying and working hard.
While there are many problems with Pretty Little Liars, the characters do know that they need to secure a successful future, and they want to move on from their creepy small town so they can finally be happy. But while some characters keep their eye on the prize, others seem distracted and don’t have the best work ethic.
Caleb Rivers
Caleb and Hanna have a mostly wonderful love story, and Caleb is definitely an intelligent person who gets involved with finding out who A is.
But Caleb seems to hate school and viewers see him spying or scheming, not studying, on a regular basis. Unlike some of the other characters, Caleb doesn’t seem to have plans or dreams of the future, and he’s more concerned with helping keep Hanna safe and trying to find his place in the world. While he’s a smart and sweet person, he doesn’t have the greatest work ethic.
Alison DiLaurentis
Ali doesn’t try very hard in school either, although she does become a teacher after the time jump on PLL.
While many fans wouldn’t say that Ali has much desire to do well academically, nor does she have her dream career, that’s not exactly her fault. She disappears during high school and spends years running from her stalker, so she’s understandably preoccupied. Ali is also out of school for a long time while she’s hiding from A, and when she comes back to Rosewood, the focus is on what happened to her, not how she’s doing in her classes.
Hanna Marin
Hanna can be seen as the protagonist on PLL and at the end of her journey on the show, she becomes a successful fashion designer.
While Hanna is smart and she loves all things style, it’s true that homework is the farthest thing from her mind during her high school years. She would rather spend time with Caleb and her friends, and she rolls her eyes and complains a lot, often acting like she’s above whatever situation she’s in. Once college inches closer, Hanna realizes she can’t pay for it and she’s upset about that, but her path never seems that academic. She gives off a confident vibe that she will do well in life, even though she doesn’t work as hard as her peers.
Aria Montgomery
Aria’s life changes after meeting and falling in love with Ezra, and she seems like an intelligent student, but she’s always more focused on her relationship than her future.
Between spying on people and worrying that things will fall apart in her personal life, Aria isn’t the strongest student at Rosewood High. When she becomes a book editor, it seems like she’s hiding her true desire to be a writer, and it’s only at the end of the series that she becomes a published author and seems to be doing what she enjoys.
Emily Fields
While Emily seems to have a solid work ethic at the beginning of the series, she definitely loses her way later on.
At first, Emily seems like a good, diligent student, and her commitment to the swim team is impressive. She’s not only a strong and talented swimmer but she does her best to be a leader for her teammates. But later on, Emily fails at college and even drops out. She seems motivated to make money, as she donates her eggs so she can cover her school tuition, but her path in life is very shaky and no one is sure what career she’s going to have.
Ezra Fitz
Ezra has a few different jobs on Pretty Little Liars. He’s a high school English teacher at the beginning of the series, he runs The Brew later on, and he also becomes an author.
While Ezra loves literature, writing, and reading, and he doesn’t seem to mind any of the positions that he holds, he often seems distracted by the mystery in Rosewood. When he’s working on a book the first time around, he dates Ali so he can learn more about her and then write about her life, which is more creepy than anything else. If Ezra was really committed to being a published author, it seems like he would have written a fiction book early on in the series and tried to make that dream come true. It’s only at the end of the series that he becomes successful in this field.
Toby Cavanaugh
It’s a little strange when Toby becomes a police officer, but this does prove that he’s willing to put in the required work when he wants something.
Toby is always working and planning ahead. When he and Spencer see each other again in Rosewood, Toby is building a house, in a serious relationship with Yvonne, and he’s got a bright future ahead of him. He is the kind of person who will be there for anyone who needs help and he doesn’t seem to ever stop or get tired.
Mona Vanderwaal
Mona is the kind of person who could really do anything if she put her mind to it. Instead, she chooses evil most of the time, and she’s even the first A on the show.
It’s impossible to ignore Mona’s work ethic, even if she does use her powers for evil. She assembles others who follow her lead, she manipulates everyone she knows, and she always stays one step ahead of others. In the final moments of the last episode, viewers see her with a dollhouse in France, playing yet another game, and it feels exactly like the right place for her to be.
Lucas Gottesman
Lucas has the second-best work ethic on this popular teen drama. No one really gets him or tries to befriend him, so he appreciates that even though Hanna doesn’t return his romantic feelings, she thinks he’s a sweet, smart person.
Lucas knows everything there is to know about computers and when he becomes part of the A-Team and helps Mona out, he works hard and really focuses on the cause. This might not be the best use of his intelligence, of course, and once Hanna sees him again after the time jump, he’s successful in business, which is nice to see.
Spencer Hastings
Of all the main characters on Pretty Little Liars, Spencer has the best work ethic.
Sometimes Spencer’s perfectionist personality and competitive nature can get her into trouble, as she becomes addicted to Adderall and ends up going to Radley. She even steals an essay that her older sister Melissa wrote, and getting into a good college is always on her mind. But while Spencer’s love of school and success can be toxic for her, she does figure out a healthier balance as she gets older. She goes into politics, which she seems to enjoy, and also balances her personal life, as she falls for Caleb and, later, reunites with Toby.
