Learning While Earning
The New Normal
Learning While Earning: The New Normal finds that over the last 25 years, more than 70 percent of college students have been working while enrolled. These 14 million college students face the challenge of balancing work, school and other life priorities. The report explores these working learners and finds that students can’t work their way through college anymore to offset debt. It also identifies several policy changes that stand to help these students succeed.
Key Findings
Podcast
In this podcast, Eric Price, a co-author of Learning While Earning: The New Normal interviews two mature working learners to examine the pressures affecting students balancing work and school. Listen to this podcast to hear their stories.
Video
In this video, Dr. Anthony P. Carnevale and Dr. Nicole Smith contribute insights on the challenges that stem from combining work with ongoing learning. Students who attend college while working have to balance competing priorities. Watch Dr. Carnevale, Dr. Smith and students discuss what can be done to improve the education pathway for working college students.
Resources
Learning While Earning: The New Normal finds that over the last 25 years, more than 70 percent of college students have been working while enrolled. In particular, it finds:
- Everyone works and everyone learns, but you can’t work your way through college anymore.
- Sixty percent of working learners are women
- Young working learners gravitate towards sales and office support while mature working learners are more concentrated in management
