Every situation is different, but I've worked the entire spectrum and can give you my experience.
From 15-22, I worked minimum wage washing dishes at a retirement center. My family needed everyone to contribute, so this wasn't really a choice. As I got older, I was able to work nights at a gas station and weekends I would stock shelves at a retailer... each job had to be kept secret from the others.
I attended University from ~18-23. I scheduled my classes from 8:00am to 11:00pm Tuesday and Thursday, so I could both work and go to school full-time.
I held the dish-washing occupation the entire time, so when I left they were incredibly angry. I stayed for 6 months but they couldn't find anyone to replace me and eventually had to split the job between two workers, offering each 50% above what I was earning. When annual reviews came up and I asked about compensation, the answer was that minimum wage was the standard rate and it wouldn't be fair to raise the cost for residents. While I suspected it would be difficult to replace me, management really didn't know how much I did and all they really knew was that I needed the job... one call to my professors and they could likely get me dropped.
I graduated during a recession, so I was competing for $25K jobs that wouldn't cover the interest without a deferment. For a period, I lived in my car. I moved across the country, learning it is incredibly risky and dangerous to move without a job in place.
Eventually, I got lucky with an arranged marriage in another country, which gave me the immigration permission to take a $100K+ job elsewhere (with a strong reference from my spouse's father). This was an option most people don't have.
After significant saving, I took my spouse back and had them do it right - they attended University the right way. I paid everything, and they did not work. They joined networking clubs, traveled in summer, attended parties, made the right friends, and translated those connections into a consulting position with a prestigious firm. The other coworkers come from privileged backgrounds... a few trust-fund kids, some wealthy children of immigrants, etc. The work is very creative and light (2-hour lunches, 4-day weeks, large travel budgets + bonuses). Some move to Bermuda and focus on wealth management. Others do business consulting in the States. Most usually move to Toronto, living in million-dollar condos, starting around $150K-$200K.
In contrast, those I used to work with were earning around minimum wage for years. Some were middle-aged workers starting over. Some were immigrants with advanced degrees. Some were taking care of their parents. Others had just been working these very tough jobs for decades, hoping to one day either collect disability or be "discovered" for a more senior role / dream career. Some had attempted their own businesses. Many had lost their jobs / careers of decades due to economic changes. Some had specialized into skills that were displaced. Others were not specialized enough and had trouble competing with the supply of young graduates without mortgages, or the advance of telecommunications that broadened the base of available intellectual workers from developing nations.
In all, I've learned all workers deserve respect and one's character cannot be judged by their economic status at any given time.