system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Have any non-masters/phd economists been able to get hired as economists for large companies like Amazon?

Government seems to be the only place that lets you reach high career levels with experience over degrees. It’s common to see “x years of experience, PhD preferred” in government where they’d prefer a PhD but also accept experience in place of degree. Government is also fine with training you into positions. 

I look at a lot of private sector economists job openings and they explicitly *require* a PhD. Lets say you’re in government and reach a GS 12-15 as an economist with 10 years experience and a bachelors. Does it not matter just because you don’t have a PhD?

I have no interest in a Masters or PhD. While I love learning, academia made me miserable and I’ve worked myself to an Economist position in the public sector in 4 years after graduating. It doesn’t make much sense to me for the private sector to put so much value on a PhD when a PhD is like an apprenticeship that teaches you how to produce research in your field. The whole point of a PhD is to stay in academia and do research. Yes you can go private sector but that’s not what a PhD is designed to do. In fact many people struggle to retain PhD grads because a lot of people hit the masters level in the program and then leave for the private sector. 

I’m just wondering if you’re even considered without a PhD even if you have years of experience as a high level economist and proficient tech skills in C, C++, Python, and Linux. There are PhDs who don’t even have that. So are you automatically disqualified from consideration just because of the degree requirement?
gpt
I can't speak for them, but many PhD job market candidates from top programs will be applying for those jobs. They will mostly have similar technical skills and the best candidates have forthcoming publications. Now, that doesn't mean don't apply, but don't going in thinking those with PhDs only have a degree.