If you came to contribute to making the world a better place, you may be more effective elsewhere.
Pros
Mandate and unique role in the global development. Benefits International travel Potential resources for individual projects Potential to affect large scale impact. In various countries, the bank has enormous influence and often have a seat at the table. Some incredibly interesting and talented people. Some incredibly insights that few people in the world are privy to.
Cons
Culture: at it's worse -hierarchical, politics dominates, cronyism, rent seeking behavior, and even bullying, sexicism and racial insensitivity. Institutional behavior: top down, top heavy and not open to change, nor dissent. Incentives encourage individualistic behavior to the extent where development and country objectives become secondary to the priorities of furthering the individual's own interests - particularly persistent amongst those who have made being 'a banker' their career objectives vs development. Particularly noxious when these people get promoted to or are in high levels of the organization. Professional development: non existent in the substance - flows from the persistence of individualistic behavior. No incentives for mentoring and team work, and the environment can get close to predatory - people stealing ideas, taking projects, blocking projects, creating obstacles or using other people's work in their name to further their own careers. Lack of strategic forethought as to how to manage and develop teams, people and resources. Reverts to cronynism, reputational effects and gossip. Opportunities given along those factors (vs merit or skills). Inflexible and bureaucratic: In reality, being able to process product through the institution takes more precedence than developing the project idea. Lots of paper pushing. Some incredibly incompetent, and unprofessional people: Some, just plainly there for the benefits and taking the bank for a ride. Lots of talking and not enough doing. Accepting the Status Quo: having to accept: 'this is just the way it is', the wasted opportunities, the waste of resources, the misuse of people's skills and talents, the departure of talented people, the irrationality and the frustration in a non-merit based world, the potential to be better faster more dynamic in fulfilling the mission - and not doing it. If your heart is in the right place to do development, the institution may well break that heart.
