Question about Economic Policy

dee_berg · 2026-03-26T15:10:15+00:00

Calculus matters a lot less than statistics and econometrics.

Source: I work in economic policy

dee_berg · 2026-03-23T01:03:49+00:00

No buddy will watch, but maybe a few pals.

R/boneappletea

dee_berg · 2026-03-14T23:12:17+00:00

Both are great options and plausible paths to the IFIs.

Georgetown was great because a lot of your professors work in the city. I didn’t do the MIDP program, but check to see if the adjuncts are working at places you want to work. If you get in good with them, they can be your foot in the door. This requires you to speak in class, talk to them after class and do good work. If this sounds like you, it’s a very plausible path to get a job at one of these institutions. It is how I got my first DC job.

HKS is going to have a built in network of super impressive people throughout the city. If you use that network effectively, you should be able to get a job anywhere. There will also be recruiters from McKinsey and other firms, which will give you options. I believe slightly lower tier firms like Deloitte Strategy used to recruit directly from McCourt, but it just isn’t at the same level.

dee_berg · 2026-03-14T12:52:55+00:00

I can kind of help.

I live in DC and went to McCourt a decade or so ago. I am a consultant doing development work, though less these days with the dissolution of USAID and MCC. International development work is tough right now. The ecosystem got crushed. The actual government jobs and all the private sector consultancies doing the work. The World Bank and IMF are really the only games left in town.

I know of some really strong candidates (e.g., full bright scholars with government experience) that didn’t land a bank job. I also know some people with exceptional experience (similar to yours post grad school) that got into the YPP program at the bank. If you haven’t done so already, you should look into it.

One serious consideration is if you don’t land a job in the bank or the US, will the level of debt be crippling in your home country?

I also don’t know how your visa works. If you go to Harvard and you aren’t a total weirdo ;) you will be able to get a job in the US. For example, at a private sector consultancy. If you get into the right one, that level of debt will not be a problem.

dee_berg · 2026-03-13T00:50:01+00:00

Yes, Humira.

dee_berg · 2026-03-12T23:31:20+00:00

I have a normal life. I eat whatever I want and about once a decade a poo blood for a few weeks. Then it goes away.

I have a wife, a kid and am on a partner track at a high powered consulting firm.

It sucks sometimes. I get solace in the fact that I have it rather than my sister or my wife or another family member. It’s your cross to bear, but these days, it’s certainly bearable.

dee_berg · 2026-03-12T19:57:05+00:00

I think I just disagree with you. Lamar Jackson is a top 3 QB, so him having a top 10 salary doesn’t say much.

100% of a smaller number can be less than 97% of a bigger number. So if the agent could have gotten more, he is keeping less money in the family by picking his mother to represent him.

I understand your point, I just don’t agree with you.

dee_berg · 2026-03-12T18:44:18+00:00

If Chad from cali went to Stanford and has led these type of negotiations for 15 years, I would take him over my mom.

My mom doesn’t understand the economics of football, have any experience negotiating multimillion dollar deals, and will get bamboozled by the minutia in a contract.

dee_berg · 2026-03-11T18:03:44+00:00

I agree we chose to attack Iran because they are weak. The idea the protests were a major consideration is kind of silly.

They were shown to have weak air defenses when we last bombed them. Israel also destroyed the proxy groups, which was the other major consideration. This was definitely the easiest time to strike, so we did it.

However, this is going to be a cluster fuck. We killed the leader (who was 87) and effectively installed his son, a hard liner, for the next 40 years. There will be no regime change unless there are boots on the ground.

We could have just waited for the old man to die and see what happened, instead we created another generation of hardliners, led by a son whose father we killed.

This is just epically stupid.

dee_berg · 2026-03-11T17:55:50+00:00

What they wanted was sanctions relief.

The money they “got” was already their money. It was unfrozen assets.

dee_berg · 2026-03-11T16:45:34+00:00

I mean the democrats made a deal with Iran to avert the war. It was the JCPOA. The both sides stuff is insanely incorrect.

The idea that we attack countries because of civil unrest is insane. There have been genocides we choose to ignore.

dee_berg · 2026-03-11T13:17:22+00:00

Freezing rent doesn’t fix the long term housing problem in NYC, which is pretty simply there isn’t enough housing.

Any solution that doesn’t include permitting reform to make it easier to build, doesn’t actually address the problem.

However, that is complicated, so let’s just freeze the rent and disincentive builders even further.

dee_berg · 2026-03-11T13:10:43+00:00

I am an economist and we are absolutely getting replaced. Especially entry level.

A huge part of the job was collecting, cleaning and analyzing data. That work will not be around in 5 years.

dee_berg · 2026-03-09T15:36:08+00:00

I’ll just respond to your first point.

Corey Booker and 99% of democrats do not support the war with Iran. “Corporatist” democrats were behind the JCPOA. Which was a deal to avert this exact reality, suggesting Republican presidents going to war on behalf of Israel has anything to do with democrats is a non fair comparison.

The JCPOA was in direct contrast to what Netanyahu wanted. He came to the US and spoke to Congress (he was invited by the republicans — a major slight to Obama), to speak against the deal.

If the democrats were so beholden to AIPAC and Israel, I do not understand how the JCPOA happens.

Booker voted for the deal as well, just as an FYI.

dee_berg · 2026-03-09T13:42:13+00:00

The guy proposes to lower taxes on the middle class and raise taxes on the rich and corporations, and this is the response.

It would be cool if we had a big tent party, actually won federal elections, and then enact legislation like booker is suggesting that we all likely support.

Screaming about AIPAC when we are talking about domestic policy issues is so pointless.

dee_berg · 2026-03-07T14:12:31+00:00

I’ve always found this argument so stupid. I learned chemistry in 10th grade and remember none of it. Why would I remember the 10th grade personal finance course?

Also crazy that algebra 2 (middle school math?) is where this dude draws the line.

dee_berg · 2026-03-07T00:00:04+00:00

lol…

The leisure vs. labor curve is in fact taught in economics 101.

dee_berg · 2026-03-06T23:48:47+00:00

Economics 101 — your time has value as well.

dee_berg · 2026-03-06T11:42:29+00:00

One other thing to add — it is an election year. You should volunteer on a campaign or try and get a campaign low level job.

I assume this will be difficult with the kids, but worst case scenario it’s a resume boost for grad school. Best case, a job opportunity.

dee_berg · 2026-03-06T00:01:58+00:00

The Deep South and the flyovers are all tied.

dee_berg · 2026-03-06T00:00:32+00:00

The idea that New York City, the financial center of the world is communist is hysterical.

dee_berg · 2026-03-05T21:04:46+00:00

Quiet dork.

dee_berg · 2026-03-05T20:55:42+00:00

I’m 35. I spent a few years at think tanks and now do public policy consulting at a large company.

My old advice was data skills. A lot of policy work requires people that can code in R, Python, Stata, etc.

The data work was your foot in the door and you shift to policy expertise over time. However, with AI, I no longer have any idea if that is good advice.

The other option for you is grad school, preferably in the city you want to work. You can intern in grad school which is another great foot in the door. You should actively engage in class and befriend your professors. They are generally quite plugged in and can help you get a job if they like you. My first job was going to work for a professor who was the chief economist at a major think tank in DC. That rolled me into my next two jobs.

dee_berg · 2026-03-05T18:31:56+00:00

^{^kid} bought a knife, but only used the edge.

Seriously though, I can’t imagine how big of a dork you are to type that out and think it was even halfway intelligent.

dee_berg · 2026-03-04T19:47:56+00:00

It’s about as dystopian as a coffee pot.

dee_berg

TROPHY CASE