For many university students, having a part-time job is becoming part of the university experience. A part-time job can provide extra income, reduce financial pressure, and offer valuable opportunities to develop communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and time-management skills. For students studying business and economics, it can also provide an early opportunity to understand how organizations and customers actually work.
However, there is an important question every working student should ask: When does a part-time job stop supporting your university experience and start competing with it?
The Benefits - and the Hidden Cost - of Working While Studying
Working while studying is not necessarily harmful. In fact, research suggests that employment can produce positive outcomes when students are able to maintain a reasonable balance between work and study. Derous and Ryan (2008), for example, found that employment can contribute positively to students’ preparation for the labor market, particularly when the job is relevant to their studies and allows students to maintain a sense of autonomy.
The problem arises when work begins to crowd out time and energy that should be devoted to learning.
A large 2024 meta-analysis by Kroupova, Havranek, and Irsova examined 69 studies on student employment and education. Their overall conclusion was more nuanced than simply saying that working students perform worse: the average negative effect of employment on educational outcomes was relatively small. However, the researchers also showed that the effects vary substantially depending on the context and intensity of employment.
In other words, having a job is not necessarily the problem—the workload may be.
When Working Hours Become Too Much
One of the clearest findings in the literature concerns the number of hours students work.
Darolia (2014), using nationally representative data from U.S. undergraduate students, found that increasing work hours did not necessarily reduce students’ grades, but full-time students who increased their working hours completed fewer academic credits per term. This suggests that students may respond to heavier work commitments by reducing the amount of coursework they take.
Similarly, Triventi (2014), studying university students in Italy, found that high-intensity employment had a strong negative effect on credit accumulation. The study highlights an important distinction: students may be able to combine a small amount of work with university successfully, but the academic cost can become much more visible when employment becomes intensive.
This is sometimes described as a time-allocation problem. A student has only 24 hours a day. Every additional hour spent working is an hour that cannot simultaneously be spent attending class, reviewing materials, completing assignments, exercising, sleeping, or simply recovering.
The Real Danger: Not Having Enough Time to Recover
The consequences are not limited to grades.
A study of working university students in Ghana found that combining work and study reduced the time available for studying and negatively affected academic performance. Difficulty finding enough time to study because of work requirements was identified as the most important challenge reported by participants.
Another study of nursing students found that students worked an average of 16 hours per week, and that the number of hours worked predicted course performance, students’ university experience, and grades. Students working longer hours reported more negative outcomes.
This is why students should not think only about “How many hours can I work?” but also ask “What will those hours take away from?”
If working late means sleeping less, missing classes, postponing assignments, or studying only when exhausted, the financial benefit of the job may come with a hidden academic cost.
So, Should Students Work Part-Time?
Yes - but strategically.
The best part-time job is not necessarily the one that pays the most. It may be the one that fits your academic schedule, provides useful experience, and leaves enough time for studying and recovery.
Before accepting a job, consider three questions:
1. Does the schedule fit my classes? A job that regularly conflicts with lectures, group projects, or examination periods may create unnecessary academic pressure.
2. Does the job contribute to my future career? A position involving customer service, sales, digital marketing, accounting, data analysis, or business operations may help students build transferable skills and gain practical experience.
3. Can I still protect my study and sleep time? If the answer is no, the job may be demanding too much.
Ultimately, university is not simply a place to earn a degree. It is a period in which students build knowledge, skills, networks, and professional identity. A part-time job can strengthen that process—but only if it complements education rather than replacing it.
The goal is not to choose between studying and working. The goal is to make working work for your education.
References
Darolia, R. (2014). Working (and studying) day and night: Heterogeneous effects of working on the academic performance of full-time and part-time students. Economics of Education Review, 38, 38–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2013.10.004
Derous, E., & Ryan, A. M. (2008). When earning is beneficial for learning: The relation of employment and leisure activities to academic outcomes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73(1), 118–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2008.02.003
Kroupova, K., Havranek, T., & Irsova, Z. (2024). Student employment and education: A meta-analysis. Economics of Education Review, 100, 102539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2024.102539
Triventi, M. (2014). Does working during higher education affect students’ academic progression? Economics of Education Review, 41, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2014.03.006
Vo Hoang Bac, Faculty of Economics and Management