Students who choose to work their way through school may be better off in the long run.

According to a study done at the University of Waterloo, students who take advantage of opportunities in co-operative education during their post-secondary studies earn more money after graduation and get more prestigious jobs.

The study was conducted by Maureen Drysdale, professor of psychology at St. Jerome’s University at the University of Waterloo, and John Goyder, professor of sociology at Waterloo.

The pair tracked close to 10,000 students from the end of high school until their early years in the work force. They found students who participated in a post-secondary co-op program earned nearly $34,000 each year, while students who did not take part in a co-op program earned just over $26, 000.

Ryan Theakston, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student, was not surprised by the study.

“Companies want people with experience, and any experience you have is experience they don’t have to pay you to get,” he said.

Theakston recalled his participation in a year-long internship, which he admitted came with some drawbacks. “I was living in a different city, so travelling home to visit friends was inconvenient,” he explained. “As well, delaying my graduation by a year meant that some of the people I was used to having classes with [were] not around anymore.”

The study corresponded with Theakston’s sentiments and claimed students who participate in a co-op end up with fewer close friends. However, it also revealed students still continue to have strong relationships with their professors and receive high grades.

Colleen Sutherland, internship and co-operative education co-ordinator at Western, felt the drawbacks were minimal in comparison to the benefits of a co-op.

“The work experience in an internship or co-op directly relates to the academic programs,” said.  She explained students who take part in a co-op program receive experience in their field, contacts in the industry and references.

Both the study and Sutherland noted co-ops cannot be a spontaneous decision.

“We promote it to third-year students in the fall […] and we hear about job postings by December,” Sutherland said. During this time the students need to get permission from their faculties and take courses in resumé writing.

According to the study, co-op students tend to have an increased ability to pay for their post-secondary education.

“The biggest benefit is probably the money I made.  Despite still being a student I was paid well,” Theakston explained. “By the time I came back to school I had a good amount saved up.”