The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of employment on first-to-second-year persistence of low-income, first-generation college students. Using the data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/06), the analysis indicated that the role orientation to academics versus to work was the strongest predictor of persistence in the study. Consistent with Warren's (2002) primary orientation model, this finding suggested that working students who perceived college as their priority and the primary role were more likely to persist, no matter how much time and energy they devoted to working, or how many or what kind of jobs they held. The study highlights the importance of keeping working students motivated, satisfied, and engaged in college to make sure that they do not turn to work as a more worthwhile and relevant undertaking than their academic pursuits. (Contains 1 table.)