Career Path towards DC Think Tank?

[aaron4848]

Hi, I am an international student who just enrolled into the IA master program at GW and need your suggestion. If my ultimate goal is to be an East Asia (especially China) expert in a DC think tank or a private consulting company like RAND and Eurasia, shall I try to get an entry-level job in a think tank or go for a PhD degree immediately after MA? If a PhD is suggested, shall I stay in DC or apply for other Top10 IA schools?

I have heard that the competition for a job in think tanks is extremely heated. Also, the job opportunity for a PhD student who does not want to work in academia is quite limited. So I am feeling a bit stressed. Shall I give up my IA plan and do something more REALISTIC? I need your suggestion. Thanks.

Edited July 20, 2012 by aaron4848

[Bdeniso]

I dont know about other think tanks but I do have some good knowledge about RAND. You can get a job at RAND with just a Master's, but it will be only for three years and you won't have any chance to move up, run your own studies, and just will basically be a RA the whole time. You need a PhD to be a full researcher at RAND. However, another aspect to this is that you have to find people to fund studies so you don't just get to right about what you want, but instead have to find funding from different agencies to pay for your studies, and often they won't have the exact interests in studying what you want. There is also some bias I feel in the organization as it initally was developed for the Air Force and most their studies (at least in the Project Air Force side) just come down to "Air Power is Awesome". That being said, I do know a few people who have worked there as both RA's and full researchers, some love it some hate it so it depends on the person. Hope this helps!

[kaykaykay]

I looked at these job options once. I found that getting an entry level job is very difficult for foreigners because of various visa issues. (they will not break themselves to get you a working visa for a RA job). Also they often want someone who can proofread and edit(you will have to work on other people's stuff) , which gives them a good reason to eliminate non native English speakers first. In any case if you speak Chinese maybe your language skills will be a good asset. Try to network in DC maybe someone needs you.

Edited July 20, 2012 by kaykaykay

[adaptations]

I recommend getting your foot in the door at a think tank after your MA. This serves a couple of purposes. First, it gives you valuable experience and will let you see what its like working at a think tank and experiencing the DC life. As was previously mentioned, it is highly unlikely you'll earn a senior position at a think tank without a PhD, or earning other impressive credentials, but working at a think tank for a couple years will help you see how they function (and hire) which will be valuable when planning the next steps in your career. More importantly, I think committing to a PhD program for 5 years with the goal of entering a think tank, but never having worked at one, is probably not a great choice. The time investment (and sacrificed potential earning) in getting the PhD is probably not worth it, unless you are 100% sure you know why you're getting it and that you'll be happy with the result (something I would argue is hard to know without having worked at a think tank first).

Whatever you decide, best of luck with the process!

[aaron4848]

Thanks you all for the reply.

I recommend getting your foot in the door at a think tank after your MA. This serves a couple of purposes. First, it gives you valuable experience and will let you see what its like working at a think tank and experiencing the DC life. As was previously mentioned, it is highly unlikely you'll earn a senior position at a think tank without a PhD, or earning other impressive credentials, but working at a think tank for a couple years will help you see how they function (and hire) which will be valuable when planning the next steps in your career. More importantly, I think committing to a PhD program for 5 years with the goal of entering a think tank, but never having worked at one, is probably not a great choice. The time investment (and sacrificed potential earning) in getting the PhD is probably not worth it, unless you are 100% sure you know why you're getting it and that you'll be happy with the result (something I would argue is hard to know without having worked at a think tank first).

Whatever you decide, best of luck with the process!

adaptations, how difficult is it to get an entry-level job in a think tank? I have heard several people expressing a similar opinion with kaykaykay.

[adaptations]

aaron4848, I cannot speak to whether Think Tanks are more or less likely to hire foreigners, but I suspect there may be some truth to the visa issue that was mentioned previously (I'd be curious whether the problem persists even if you become more qualified). That said, once you have your masters, I suspect you will be competitive for Think Tank entry level positions, but they are still very competitive and I would not consider getting such a position to be a sure thing (at any point in your career).

Having worked in DC for a number of years at both non-profit and private organizations, I will re-emphasize my previous point that earning a PhD with the goal of entering a Think Tank, without having ever experienced working at one, is a potentially disappointing proposition. If you happen to discover that a Think Tank isn't the place for you, then you would have likely spent those five years doing something else. Such jobs can be great, but they aren't for everyone, so I would recommend finding a way to try it first (interning perhaps) and then evaluate your next career steps after that. Good luck.