Sleep deprivation, burnout, and dropout risk among the primary struggles of working students

Before dawn, they wake. By day they study. By night they work. Working students carry classrooms, jobs and families on their shoulders. Their resilience often goes unnoticed, yet they are shaping the nation’s future, one sacrifice at a time.

Mapúa Malayan Digital College sought to go beyond admiration. In celebration of National Working Students’ Day on March 21 and under its Step Up sa Pangarap Movement, the college presented its inaugural State of the Working Student Report, a deep dive into the professional and personal realities of this unique demographic.

The report reveals how rigid academic and workplace structures fail to accommodate students’ demanding schedules. Chronic sleep deprivation, burnout, and risk of dropping out topped the list of concerns.

“We asked Filipino working students a simple question: ‘How are you, really?’” said MMDC executive director Dennis Tablante. “What came back was anything but simple.”

Over 80 percent of respondents work full-time—40, 50, sometimes more than 50 hours a week—while attending classes and completing school requirements. More than half sleep five hours or less per night.

During the report launch, Chester Catilago, MMDC director for Shared Services, asked students, “How many hours of sleep did you get last night?” Answers ranged from two to five hours.

“4.99 hours. That’s the average,” Catilago said. “And it’s not a discipline problem. “It’s a mathematical consequence of balancing full-time work, school, and family—caring for children, managing household duties, and for some, navigating single parenthood.”

The lives behind the statistics

Behind the numbers are real students with real stories. Among them is Ada Gabrielle Silva, a fourth-year BSIT Data Analytics student at MMDC, who has been a working student for nearly eight years. She currently works as a workforce planning analyst—and, like many others, is also a provider.

A single mother, Silva took on work to support her children while continuing her education to build a better future. Her experience reflects what the report describes as a “dual full-time burden”: students are not simply balancing school and work, but managing both at full capacity alongside family responsibilities.

For Silva, this meant navigating rigid work schedules in the BPO industry, attending classes, and raising her children—often with little time in between and while working night shifts. “At that time, it was really challenging to balance everything,” she shared.

What made a difference was support—from an employer that allowed flexibility for her studies, and from her partner, who helped manage responsibilities at home. With that support, Silva has been able to sustain full-time work and full-time studies while remaining present for her children.

Her story, along with those of Mika Conway, Adam Raymond Belda and Mariah Angela Alvarez, reflects the report’s findings: for many working students, employment is not supplemental but essential, and the demands of school, work and family are deeply intertwined.

Realities of juggling responsibilities

A key factor behind sleep deprivation, burnout and thoughts of quitting school is lack of time. Time emerged as the primary academic barrier, with 52.9 percent citing it, highlighting the reality of a “dual full-time” life:

• Over 80 percent of students hold full-time employment while pursuing their degrees, with 43.9 percent balancing a full-time academic load alongside a 40-hour work week—double the commonly recommended 20-hour threshold for student employment.
• 45.2 percent work on-site, meaning commutes further reduce study time.
• 41.3 percent have active caregiving responsibilities for children, elderly relatives, or siblings.

What the data reveals

Working students’ overlapping responsibilities show in the numbers. Burnout is widespread: 58.1 percent feel overwhelmed, and 49.7 percent report emotional and mental exhaustion. Yet pride and confidence remain high: 74.8 percent feel proud of balancing work and school, and 78.7 percent understand the skills expected in their industry.

This paradox—resilience amid exhaustion—can make students underreport the need for institutional or clinical support.

“But here’s what else the data told us,” said Tablante. “74.8% of you feel proud of what you’ve been doing. Not despite the difficulty, but because you know what it costs—and you show up anyway. Sixty-nine percent cited personal growth as a motivation, not just financial need, as your reason for working and studying at the same time.”

Persistence is another defining trait. Nearly half (45.2 percent) have seriously considered quitting school due to work or personal pressures. Yet 69% cite personal growth as motivation, and 58.7 percent would continue studying even without financial need.

“The SWS Report serves as an essential framework for leaders in academia and industry to redesign systems that better support this unique demographic,” said Tablante.

“By consolidating working students’ experiences, the study sets a benchmark for educators and employers to align strategies with their most urgent needs. This ensures more students can complete their degrees and move into rewarding careers.”

How MMDC supports working students

MMDC has long supported working students with flexible learning pathways. Its fully online BS Information Technology programs and short-term certification courses are built around the realities of juggling work, school and family.

Students can choose morning, afternoon or evening classes, with no face-to-face sessions required. This flexibility allows them to control their schedules and balance academics, work, family and life.

The college pairs this convenience with hands-on, project-based learning rooted in Mapúan Academic Excellence, plus 24/7 AI-powered support—letting students immediately apply new skills to their jobs while earning a world-recognized degree.

The takeaway

The SWS Report makes one thing clear: The challenges faced by working students are not simply about time management or personal discipline. They stem from structural realities that demand more flexible, responsive systems in both education and the workplace.

Behind every statistic is a student navigating overlapping roles, making daily trade-offs, and pushing forward despite exhaustion. Their resilience is undeniable—but it should not be a requirement for survival.

As the country marks National Working Students’ Day, the call is not only to recognize their determination but to rethink the systems around them—so pursuing an education does not come at the cost of health, family, or future potential.