Meaningful Something you’re good at Engaging & where you have autonomy With supportive colleagues Has basic conditions (e. g. no long daily commute) and fits with your life (e. g. non-crazy hours).
Big: What’s the magnitude of this problem? How much does it affect people’s lives today? How much effect will solving it have in the long run? Neglected: How many people and resources are tackling this problem? How well allocated are these resources? Solvable: How easy would it be to make progress on this problem? Do interventions already exist to solve this problem effectively, and how strong is the evidence behind them?
Existential risks that threaten the destruction of humanity’s long-term potential. These arise from artificial intelligence, biological hazards, great power conflict, nuclear security, and extreme climate change. Animal welfare. Humans slaughter 70 billion land animals every year. That’s ten times the human population. Animal lives on factory farms are miserable. Global health and development. Eight hundred million people in developing countries live in absolute poverty—with less than $1. 90 per day. Five million children die every year, mainly from preventable causes.
Government and policy in an area relevant to a top problem. Work out how government policy can help solve the most pressing issues, and help make those policies happen. Organisation-building at effective nonprofits. Help build great organisations doing important work via entrepreneurship, operations, people management, project management, fundraising, or administration. Research in relevant areas. Aim to make intellectual advances about how to tackle the world’s most pressing problems. Apply an unusual skill to a needed niche. A wide variety of skills is needed. If you already have expertise in a narrow area, there might be a way to apply it to a pressing global problem. Communication. Convey important ideas and information in a compelling way, and you can help others focus on the right things and work more effectively. Earning to give. Take a job that fits you well and lets you contribute financially to funding-constrained, highly-effective organisations.
Explore. Early on (<25 years old), run experiments to learn about yourself. Use summer internships. Read about topics you’re interested in. Talk to people you admire. Invest. Later (26-35 years old), invest in your career capital (skills, connections and credentials that put you in a better position to make a difference in the future). Deploy. When you have lots of career capital (36+ years), use it to address the greatest needs within the most pressing problems.
Career capital Impact Personal fit Information value you’ll gain from testing them out Other personal priorities.
Speak to people in the area Use the summer for valuable internships Volunteer Read about topics you’re interested in
The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity by Toby Ord 80,000 Hours: Finding a Fulfilling Career That Does Good Doing Good Better: Effective Altruism and How You Can Make a Difference by William MacAskill
Join a virtual program to discuss these ideas in a series of online meetups, hosted by experienced facilitators Find an effective altruism event, from live conferences to in-person and virtual meetups Join an effective altruism group, either locally or online
