Plenty of students work alongside their studies: in 2019, 62% of young people in education aged 15 to 27 had paid work [1]. But not all work brings the same thing. A side job unrelated to your degree pays your rent. Paid work that does connect to your field brings direction, experience and a stronger CV on top of a salary.
What's the difference between a side job and relevant work experience?
A side job pays the bills with work that needn't have much to do with your studies. Relevant work experience does that too, but also builds knowledge, a network and a CV that move you forward in the field you're aiming for. So the difference isn't what it pays, but what it gives you for after your studies.
You find out what work actually looks like
The fastest way to find out whether a sector suits you is to work in it. A few months inside marketing, finance or operations shows you what the daily reality looks like. You also find out what drains your energy, and that's at least as useful as knowing what fits.
What does research say about relevant experience and your CV?
SEO Economic Research (commissioned by EW Magazine, 2023) compared graduates of universities of applied sciences and research universities. Those with a side job during their studies found a first substantial job faster on average. A side job in a relevant sector was associated with a shorter search than one in a non-relevant sector (in the study: hospitality, retail, events, postal and courier services, agriculture and temp work). The starting salary was also higher on average with a relevant side job [2].
Do you have to choose between good pay and relevant experience?
No. Relevant experience doesn't have to be unpaid or underpaid, and a working student is in any case entitled to at least the minimum wage [3]. At VOIDS these are paid working-student roles of typically 4 to 24 hours a week.
You learn to plan under real pressure
Combining work with exams and deadlines forces you to plan. You don't learn it from a book: you learn it by having a week where everything lands at once, and getting through it.
How many hours can you work alongside your studies?
There's no fixed norm. What students actually do: working higher-education students averaged 18.7 usual working hours a week in 2023 [4], and in 2024 almost two thirds of working young people in education worked up to 20 hours a week [5]. Since 2020 there is no earnings limit for student finance [6]. What's feasible differs per degree and per period. Choose a job that takes exams and project weeks into account, and agree that in advance.
Why isn't this equally easy for everyone?
Not every student has the same access to relevant, paid work experience. An internship allowance is not mandatory by law: in March 2024, 42% of secondary vocational students received one, an estimated 75% of students at universities of applied sciences and, in research universities, 65% of students with a compulsory internship [7]. Someone with a financial safety net can more easily afford to earn little or nothing. That's why VOIDS focuses on paid, relevant roles.
Sources
- CBS (2020): Werk: Jaarrapport Landelijke Jeugdmonitor 2020, accessed 11 October 2026.
- SEO Economisch Onderzoek (2023): Studie & Werk HO: de arbeidsmarktpositie van hbo- en wo-alumni (Bussink, Van der Ven & Klinker, in opdracht van EW Magazine), accessed 11 October 2026.
- Rijksoverheid (2026): Bedragen minimumloon 2026, accessed 11 October 2026.
- CBS (2023): Scholieren voortgezet onderwijs werkten derde kwartaal 11 uur per week (met tabellen gebruikelijke arbeidsduur en top 3 beroepen), accessed 11 October 2026.
- CBS (2025): Werk: Jaarrapport Landelijke Jeugdmonitor 2025, accessed 11 October 2026.
- DUO (2026): Bijverdienen, accessed 11 October 2026.
- Rijksoverheid (2025): Stijgende lijn stagevergoedingen voor studenten, accessed 11 October 2026.
Transparency: VOIDS connects working students with organisations and therefore has an interest in this topic. We back up facts with sources and connect research and trends to our own experience from practice.
