Benefits of Engaging in Work and School: The Dual Roles of Resilience and Detachment

Abstract

A significant proportion of full time college students have jobs, and an increasing number of full-time workers pursue academic degrees on the side. Despite the prevalence of individuals engaging in both school and work, the affective and behavioral outcomes of participation in these dual roles remains an understudied phenomenon. We draw on insights from the work-life enrichment literature and the conservation of resources theory to develop a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between work and study. Using survey data collected from two sets of traditional college students and a longitudinal survey of full-time working adults, we find strong support for the enrichment perspective: engagement in one domain (school/work) is positively associated with engagement in another (work/school), and this relationship is partially mediated by the acquisition of new resources (via increased resilience) but not by the protection of resource loss (via psychological detachment from primary role). Employees’ work identity plays an important moderating role in the school-to-work interface. We discuss the implications of these findings for theory and practice.