system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
How to begin a career as an economic researcher

Hi, I'm an undergraduate rising sophomore and I'm interested in doing research as a career. I've read online that private sector/public sector research internships as well as research with professors is important. However, the only economics knowledge I have are my intro micro and macro classes. I have no previous experience with any kind of research or relevant work experience. How can I set myself up for a sophomore summer internship with this kind of minimal experience? Any wisdom is appreciated!
gpt
1. Take intermediate micro, intermediate macro, economic statistics, and econometrics.

2. Talk to your econ department's Director of Undergraduate Studies. Ask about grad school. Ask about undergrad research opportunities. Ask about potential departmental or university-wide funding for summer research assistantships.

3. Look for internships at research-oriented firms (AIR, Westat, RTI) and public institutions (maybe the BLS/BEA/Census, maybe the Fed banks).

4. Talk to professors. Ask if they have any projects that they need help on. Express a willingness to learn statistics and programming, because those are likely to be your areas of comparative advantage.