RAND reviews

The internal job market means constantly interviewing internally for projects. On the civilian side, you have to cover 100% of your time with grant/contract money, which is a tall order. This might explain why turnover is a little high on this side of the house. The military side is run by several gangs (e.g., the Project Air Force FMEP gang) each of which has a few decision makers that determine the fate of new hires (what projects they work on, when they are allowed to brief a client or lead a project, etc.). These decision makers take care of each other first and play favorites with new hires. (Don't expect to have an important role on a project just because you know the topic better than anyone else at RAND.) The military side doesn't do very interesting or technical research (think resolving the same Army logistics problem several years in a row using a giant spreadsheet). Santa Monica and the surrounding area are very expensive and traffic is bad. The freedom to work from home and the nature of the researchers working here means there is little socializing or community spirit at work

If you aren't a member of the research staff, or an executive, you'll fit into this box. Your job is to keep the lights on, the floors clean, the facilities running. You are a cost center. You are not seen to add value. You may not be seen at all. While many concepts behind modern technologies are the brainchildren of RAND alumni, technology is no longer a science here; it is merely 'IT'. Middle managers of the top-heavy IT department deliberate amongst themselves, and regularly make irresponsible, uninformed, and outdated decisions by committee, leaving no one accountable for the perpetual mess. IT literally holds this organization back in the 20th century.