Read this interview of David Card and Alan Krueger. Imagine that. There was a time in the not so distant past that nobody used the terms "natural experiment" and "research design". Also, see their thoughts on RCTs, behavioral economics, and complicated theories explaining human behavior. Interesting throughout!
Here is more on the history of applied micro research, starting in the 1960s. Important to note before going on the job market: "We also show that, despite the partial abandonment of theory by applied microeconomists, the labor market for economists still pays a wage premium to theorists." My non-rhetorical question: Doing theory is hard and time-consuming. Is it worth it? My answer: It depends....
