Combining study and work – economic compulsion or a bridge to a successful career?

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to identify the main motives for students to engage in labour force participation in different countries, as well as in Poland, and to examine how it affects career prospects. Design/methodology/approach: The basis for the verification of the hypotheses is a review of the current global literature on the subject, the results of the Eurostudent VII 2018-2021 survey and an analysis of the data contained in the Ekonomiczne Losy Absolwentów (Business Careers of Graduates) (ELA) system for graduates completing their studies in the 2017-2021 time period. Findings: Having a paid job while studying is not always a choice, about two-thirds of students work for economic reasons. Combining studies and gainful employment makes it easier for graduates to enter the labour market. Students with work experience before obtaining a diploma, compared to those without such experience, look for work for a shorter time and obtain higher salaries at the early stage of their career. Research limitations/implications: Based on ELA data it is difficult to assess whether work experience gained during studies leads to a successful career later on. It is necessary to expand research in this area by including information on all forms of work experience and extending the tracking of graduates. Practical and social implications: The findings of this article contribute to a better understanding of the social challenges created by combining education and work, as well as the ongoing changes in the model of higher education and the school-to-work transition. They underscore the importance of gaining work experience while still in education and introducing more flexibility of higher education institutions in terms of the study programmes and the organisation of the course of study. Originality/value: The study, using administrative data, assessed the employment situation of Polish graduates of all universities with and without professional experience, which creates added value in relation to the results of other research works based on surveys of graduates of selected universities or fields of study.