Poor work ethic at university predicts burnout 17 years later

The BPS Research Digest looks at a new study which has shown that students who found reason to avoid work-related tasks at university, and who were pessimistic about their chances of success, were more likely, 10, 14 and 17 years later, to report feeling disengaged from their job, and were more likely to report experiencing work-related burnout.

If you’re a university student, you’ll be all too familiar with the looming coursework deadline. You’ll know how tempting it is to keep putting the essay off until tomorrow, but then tomorrow comes and Jeremy Kyle has a guest on who’s in love with her neighbour’s dog, so you put it off again. Perhaps you fear receiving a bad mark, but you also reason to yourself that it doesn’t matter. Your plan, once you graduate and get a job, is to change gears, really show what you can do.
Source: BPS Research Digest
Salmela-Aro, K., Tolvanen, A., & Nurmi, J. (2009). Achievement strategies during university studies predict early career burnout and engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75 (2), 162-172 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2009.03.009