This research studied the effect of paid employment on students' academic performance. A literature review found that most existing research and surveys agree that working while studying negatively impacts academic performance due to lack of time for studying, sleeping, and maintaining health. The study hypothesized that time management, career development, demotivation, and stress would be negatively correlated with academic performance. Data was collected through surveys and analyzed using regression analysis. The results found that time management, career development, and demotivation were negatively correlated with academic performance, supporting three of the four hypotheses, while stress was not correlated. The regression model found that 43% of variation in academic performance could be explained by variations in the independent variables.