Pros
-Compared to most other positions available to students who haven't completed their degree yet, WRP pays well. Most of the WRP offers that I received were in the $13-$16 range and were 40 hours a week. I was able to save up a good chunk of money which helped make up for the fact that the jobs I held during the school year paid very poorly. -the employees at the agencies I worked for were overall very welcoming and wanted to see me succeed. While the work could sometimes feel like drudgery, my coworkers at all the WRP placements I held had great personalities and made each day a lot more bearable.
Cons
-there isn't a whole lot of variety of in terms of the agencies that participate. The majority of government departments that offer placements are part of the Department of Defense. If your interests lie elsewhere - such as the Department of Health and Human Services, the EPA, the Department of Education, etc., - pickings are slim or non-existent. I have participated in WRP for several years now, and the only employers who have ever contacted me were from the Department of Defense. Depending on your metropolitan area, DoD-affiliated agencies may be the only departments that participate. While the program enabled me to gain some general office skills that could be transferable to other fields, ultimately it was not helpful in reaching my long-term career goals. I found myself having to explain to other employers why I held several internships under the Department of Defense, since the tasks and the departments were largely unrelated to my field. If you're interested in accounting, finance, business management, computer science, or to a lesser extent HR, there are many opportunities for you. But if you're not studying these areas the only positions available to you will most likely be in the realm of administrative assistance. I was grateful for the paychecks, but I didn't get much career development out of the experience at all. If the program is serious about promoting opportunities for students with disabilities, it needs to branch out to provide placements in other career paths. This is a wider issue found in most disability employment programs, beyond just WRP. Not everyone with a disability wants to (or can) pursue a business-oriented office job. -the positions are only three months long, four months if you are granted an extension. It would be nice if they had opportunities for a six-month or year-long internship, or better yet a position that could be held for multiple years as the student finishes up their degree/until they find a permanent position. Even though my WRP placement wasn't in my field, I wish it had lasted longer so I could have had something to tide me over as I continued my job hunt. -no benefits are offered. -government agencies are a very no-frills place to work. I found myself envious of friends who worked (or even just interned) in the private sector. You don't even get free water at government agencies since they can't have taxpayer dollars going toward employee hydration. If you want to use the water cooler, you have to pay. I'm not asking for free lunch Fridays or a cappuccino machine (although that would be nice!), just basic things like the availability of free tissues or free water.