AUTHOR=Douglas Daniel , Attewell Paul TITLE=The Relationship Between Work During College and Post College Earnings JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sociology VOLUME=4 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sociology/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2019.00078 DOI=10.3389/fsoc.2019.00078 ISSN=2297-7775 ABSTRACT=

Prior research suggests that undergraduates employed during term time are less likely to graduate. Using transcript data from a large multi-campus university in the United States, combined with student earnings data from state administrative records, the authors find that traditional-age students who worked for pay during college on average earned more after leaving college than similar students who did not work. This post-college earnings premium is on par with the benefit from completing a degree, even after controlling for demographic and academic achievement characteristics, across various student sub-groups, and including models that account for selection bias. Implications of these findings for theories of education and social stratification, and for educational policy are considered.