I'm familiar with a few, and as a general rule, the pay and benefits are great, but the internal politics can be brutal. The interests of the members can be all over the map, and keeping them all happy at the same time is incredibly difficult.

I worked as a lobbyist at my association for almost 10 years -- cushy job with free lunches, dinners, etc. Great travel, speaking opps, etc. Lost job when a new CEO came in and brought his own team in. Have never gotten another job as good as that one.

But I know others in trade associations where long-timers are those with 4 years at the association.

This was my TA experience - I made it almost 4 1/2 years before the knives came out. The staff of 30 or so had experienced close to 90% turnover during my tenure. It really depends on the culture of the industry/cause you choose to support and the financial viability of the organization.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the job/position. Are you interested solely in lobbying jobs at an association or in government/public relations jobs?

My skills are technical and portable throughout industries and I have seen a few interesting positions at 1 or more of the previously listed groups.

I am guessing "technical" refers to either economics/econometrics or "information technology-related" applications.

For the associations that you listed, some of them have heavier "number-crunching" operations than others, so an economics background would be in greater demand (and thus possibly better rewarded) at a place such as an insurance association, or a place like AARP, as compared to (some forms of an) education association. For IT, it will vary widely and will be dependent upon how much of the IT function has been outsourced vs. kept in-house.

I work in a trade association in a data-centric position and my colleagues in similar positions have been here for 15 - 20+ years. But I know others in trade associations where long-timers are those with 4 years at the association.

Anonymous wrote:It depends on the job/position. Are you interested solely in lobbying jobs at an association or in government/public relations jobs?

My skills are technical and portable throughout industries and I have seen a few interesting positions at 1 or more of the previously listed groups.

It depends on the job/position. Are you interested solely in lobbying jobs at an association or in government/public relations jobs?

I curious how work life and benefits compare.

How does job stability compare to federal, government contracting or commercial?

I am thinking of anything ranging from

Education Association
Petroleum Institute
Association of HR
Insurance Association
American Gas Association
Pharmaceutical