The work- and therefore professional development and future opportunites -for a survey researcher is limited in scope.
Pros
The salary is nice compared to other places. Though for a survey researcher, it is generally lower than for a researcher (even if the survey researcher has a more advanced degree). The organization tends to accomodate work/life balance issues very well. The organization as a whole is very hierarchical, which can be good for people who like that sort of thing. Some managers in the survey divisions seem unaccustomed to managing personnel with advanced degrees, but they have begun making a noticable effort to try and keep these staff engaged in their jobs. If patient, there may be long term pay offs to this strategy (for personnel and managers alike).
Cons
The work itself can be dull. As a survey researcher, you are given little responsibility and not viewed as a potential leader in the company as a whole (e.g. as a project director, for example). It takes the company a very long time to integrate new people. It can be disconcerting to find that after you get the job, you still have to lobby for work. This isn't terrible in an of otself, but it would be useful to let prospective job applicants know this. The methodological leaders in the survey division seem to have somewhat outdated information as far as survey methods are concerned. There is little to no methodological innovation. The company has many resources (both interms of talent and money) at its disposal and could make better use of it for methodological innovation..
