Pros
- Excellent opportunity to acquire relevant entry-level experience prior to graduate school - Optimal environment to explore potential career paths, particularly if unsure about a PhD in Economics or something else - Steep learning curve - Flexible working hours, beneficial for personal life balance - Potential to get involved in relevant publications - Tendency to be admitted at top graduate schools afterwords - Top salary and benefits (note that the actual salary offered is net of taxes; the values posted here are likely to be an estimate private sector salary around 27% higher than the actual amount received)
Cons
- Some senior staff have missed the technology train and often require rather silly assistance with very basic tasks (you can only be patient!...) - Work environment can become quite dry and boring - If you realize economics is not for you, it becomes difficult to keep up the motivation although the Research Assistant Program's beauty is that you are hired for 2 years and are actually expected to leave the organization at the end of your contract in order to pursue graduate studies or further professional experience elsewhere if judged necessary