Earning While Learning

Student Employment in Higher Education

Working while in college is the norm for many students in the United States—especially for students from low-income backgrounds. There is strong evidence that student employment can be beneficial in the short- and long-term, but colleges and employers must work together to ensure that all students have access to professional opportunities that allow them to pursue their interests and advance their careers.

The State of Student Employment

It is impossible to separate the spheres of higher education and professional employment. Indeed, employment considerations are overwhelmingly the reason young people go to college. According to a survey conducted by New America, the top three justifications students offer for attending college are 1) to improve employment opportunities, 2) to make more money, and 3) to get a good job.

But beyond serving as mere preparation for the working world, college increasingly serves as a time when students are simultaneously learning and working. In the United States, almost 14 million individuals are both active in the labor market and enrolled in a postsecondary education or credentialing program. This includes nearly half (43%) of full-time undergraduates, and the number is higher (50%) for full-time students at community colleges.

Nor are these jobs minor commitments of only a few hours per week. In recent years, full-college students who were employed averaged 25 hours of work per week, with nearly one-fifth working full time (35 or more hours per week) (NCES, 2020). Furthermore, working hours are even higher for part-time college students, with many working full time jobs and attending classes on evenings and weekends.

Why has working during college become so prevalent? Students work for a variety of reasons: to meet the rising costs of college, to improve their resumes, to develop key workplace competencies, to support their families, and, in many cases, to express a key part of their identities (Anderson & Nieves, 2020). The need to work is especially prevalent among students from low-income households. In some cases, even part-time work can seem insufficient. In fact, nearly 40% of Pell recipients at community colleges who worked more than 20 hours per week reported “running out of money” multiple times per year (Postsecondary Value Commission, 2021).

With tuition rates far outstripping the pace of inflation for the past four decades, financial pressure on students is not going anywhere any time soon, and the other work incentives for students do not appear to be transitory, either. Thus, the question becomes how to optimize students’ balance of working and learning that best prepares them for the future.

Benefits and Drawbacks

So, we know that student employment is a fact of life at colleges around the country. But is this phenomenon a positive or negative development? There are plausible explanations for both possibilities. On the one hand, employment relieves financial pressure on students and their families, in addition to being a skill- and resume-building opportunity. Especially if work opportunities are aligned with their studies, a job or internship can further stimulate academic motivation and inform future career pathways. On the other hand, hours spent working may come at the expense of opportunities for academic and social development on campus. If students prioritize work over school, their performance may suffer and they may opt to attend school part-time or stop out entirely. 

Thankfully, research has begun to provide empirical answers to the questions raised by this important debate. In brief, working during college can be a positive developmental experience for young people, but the type of work students do, and the number of hours they do it for, matters a great deal.

Research suggests that working while in college can pay a variety of dividends for young people, beyond the obvious financial benefits. For example, students who complete college degrees while working have been shown to be more likely to attain managerial positions with higher wages than people who go straight into full-time work after high school (Labour, 2012). In surveys, many students self-report that their jobs were ‘instrumental to their leadership development and personal growth’ and ‘helped shape academic interests and career choices’ (Anderson & Nieves, 2020).

Internships, whether during the school year or over the summer, also appear to pay dividends as a skill- and network-building strategy, especially for work that is more technical in nature. Studies suggest that students who complete paid internships earn higher starting salaries after graduation versus students who do not have these experiences (WSJ, 2019). They are also substantially more likely to have a job offer by the time they graduate from college, and less likely to be unemployed during the early years of their careers (Siedler, 2019). Finally, a recent survey of employers found that relevant work or internship experience was a more important factor than major or GPA when it came to hiring.

There are, however, clear findings that working too much can impede students’ academic progress. Multiple studies find that students working more than 20-25 hours per week suffer adverse outcomes, including lower grades, lower retention rates, and lower graduation rates (Carnevale et al, 2015). Working longer hours may also encourage part-time enrollment, thereby lengthening the amount of time students are in school, and lowering the likelihood of degree completion (Postsecondary Value Commission, 2019). Furthermore, part-time enrollment can negatively impact students’ eligibility for financial aid, an often unanticipated but important factor in the cost-benefit analysis of balancing work and school.

Not All Jobs Are Created Equal

Beyond the number of hours worked, the type of job a student has while in school really matters. There is a big difference between lower-wage retail and fast food jobs with no connection to students’ studies and skill-building internships that often represent the first step on a career ladder within a promising field. While both opportunities allow students to earn a paycheck, they can have divergent impacts on career trajectories. Indeed, research suggests that student employment related to the field of study has significant short- and long-term benefits including lower unemployment risk, shorter job-search duration, higher wages, and greater job responsibility (Labour, 2012).

Importantly, this distinction often falls upon socioeconomic and racial lines with several troubling disparities emerging between groups. First, low-income students are more likely to work full time while in college and thus face disproportionate risk of declining academic performance as a result. Second, students from low-income families are less likely to have paid internships and other positions related to their career goals and major field (Postsecondary Value Commission, 2019). Finally, in a recent survey, fewer than half of college students expressed confidence in their ability to network with alumni and employers to make professional connections–crucial skills when first starting one’s climb up the career ladder.

As noted in a recent article by Dr. Lisette Nieves, who is presenting at CTB’s upcoming panel, “Young Latinx students from low-income, first generation mixed-immigration status families are often left to piece together low-wage jobs entirely unrelated to their degrees, with minimal opportunities for career advancement or increased social capital.”

These disparities predictably show up in employment outcomes once students graduate. Low-income college graduates, college graduates of color, and those who are the first in their families to graduate from college earn up to 25% less than graduates from higher income backgrounds, white college graduates, and college graduates whose parents went to college, respectively.

The Importance of Work 

For first generation students from low-income backgrounds–despite getting the short end of an inequitable job market–opting out of the workforce is not an option. Furthermore, beyond the urgency of financial need, many first generation students from low-income families take immense pride in their work and in the contribution to their families. In her research interviewing Latinx community college students, Nieves articulates the presence of a common ‘worker lens,’ which functions as an identity that manifests in students who value school and work equally while priding themselves on their work ethic and their contribution to their families. For the students in her study, work is “central to both their occupational-identity and self-identity, a driver of academic performance and aspirations for the future.” 

Ultimately, it is up to colleges, universities, and employers to work together to respond with a similar commitment to that which is demonstrated by these students–by leveling the playing field and ensuring all students have the ability to maximize their potential in the workforce. 

Recommendations:

• Enhance need-based financial aid for students to reduce the burden on students to pay for tuition and fees beyond their expected family contribution

• Facilitate connections between students and employers that allow more flexible, part-time jobs and internships, with clear pathways into full-time employment after graduation

• Eliminate unpaid internships to prevent socioeconomic bias in hiring, as uncompensated opportunities are often out-of-reach for students who need to generate income for themselves and their families.

• Embed key work-related competencies into the classroom, establishing clear connections between the value students place on both school and work.

Further Reading:

The Uneven Climb from College to Career - The Chronicle of Higher Education (2022)

Working to Learn: Disrupting the Divide Between College and Career Pathways for Young People - Anderson & Nieves (2020)

Balancing Work and Learning: Implications for Low-Income Students - Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce (2018)

Learning While Earning: The New Normal - Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce (2015)