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- Key ideas Understand what makes for a high-impact career.
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  Introduction
  Your most important decision
  Summary
  Foundations
  A definition of impact
  Future generations & their moral significance
  Effective altruism
  Global priorities
  Why problem selection is crucial
  The case for reducing existential risks
  This could be the most important century
  Our current list of pressing problems
  Contribution
  Which careers let you contribute most?
  Some solutions are far more effective than others
  Our list of high-impact careers
  Personal fit
  Fit is more important than you think
  Strategy
  What is career capital?
  How much to explore?
  Coordination and impact
  Balancing impact and doing what you love
  Aim higher: a rational case for dreaming big
  Three career stages
  Conclusion
  How much do careers differ in impact?
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- Problem profiles Find out about the world's biggest and most neglected problems.
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  Top areas to work on
  Preventing an AI-related catastrophe
  Catastrophic pandemics
  Building effective altruism
  Global priorities research
  Nuclear war
  Epistemics and institutional decision making
  Climate change
  Great power conflict
  Other promising areas
  Promoting positive values
  Space governance
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  Go to problems hub →
- Career reviews Learn about high-impact career paths.
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  Key categories of impactful careers
  Government and policy
  Organisation-building at effective nonprofits
  Research
  Applying an unusual strength to a needed niche
  Communication
  Earning to give
  List of top-recommended career paths
  AI safety technical research
  Long-term AI policy
  Founder of new projects
  Helping build the effective altruism community
  Grantmaker
  Operations management in high-impact organisations
  Research into global priorities
  Biorisk research, strategy, and policy
  China-related AI safety and governance
  Forecasting research and implementation
  Sometimes-recommended paths
  High-impact but especially competitive
  Promising but under-researched
  Impactful if you're an especially good fit
  Recommended career capital
  Steps to build your skills and network
  Making the most of your current job
  Doing good in any career
  How to invest in yourself
  See all our career reviews →
- Planning & decision making Use our tools to make concrete plans.
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  Create a high-impact career plan
  8-week career planning course
  Summary
  Career plan template
  Annual career check-up
  Make good career decisions
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  Improve your decision-making skills
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- Browse all our content Pick a topic to explore or check out our most popular pieces.
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  Top articles from outside our guides
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  Best charities to donate to
  Misconceptions about effective altruism
  High-impact research questions
  What are your chances of getting elected to Congress, if you try?
  How many lives does a doctor save?
  What's the impact of voting?
  Advice for undergraduates
  All articles →
  
  2017 career guide
  All career guide pages →
Read the full guide →
Introduction
Your most important decision
Summary
Foundations
A definition of impact
Future generations & their moral significance
Effective altruism
Global priorities
Why problem selection is crucial
The case for reducing existential risks
This could be the most important century
Our current list of pressing problems
Contribution
Which careers let you contribute most?
Some solutions are far more effective than others
Our list of high-impact careers
Personal fit
Fit is more important than you think
Strategy
What is career capital?
How much to explore?
Coordination and impact
Balancing impact and doing what you love
Aim higher: a rational case for dreaming big
Three career stages
Conclusion
How much do careers differ in impact?
Read the full guide →
Go to problems hub →
Top areas to work on
Preventing an AI-related catastrophe
Catastrophic pandemics
Building effective altruism
Global priorities research
Nuclear war
Epistemics and institutional decision making
Climate change
Great power conflict
Other promising areas
Promoting positive values
Space governance
See more →
Go to problems hub →
See all our career reviews →
Key categories of impactful careers
Government and policy
Organisation-building at effective nonprofits
Research
Applying an unusual strength to a needed niche
Communication
Earning to give
List of top-recommended career paths
AI safety technical research
Long-term AI policy
Founder of new projects
Helping build the effective altruism community
Grantmaker
Operations management in high-impact organisations
Research into global priorities
Biorisk research, strategy, and policy
China-related AI safety and governance
Forecasting research and implementation
Sometimes-recommended paths
High-impact but especially competitive
Promising but under-researched
Impactful if you're an especially good fit
Recommended career capital
Steps to build your skills and network
Making the most of your current job
Doing good in any career
How to invest in yourself
See all our career reviews →
See all planning resources →
Create a high-impact career plan
8-week career planning course
Summary
Career plan template
Annual career check-up
Make good career decisions
Make an immediate decision
Improve your decision-making skills
See all planning resources →
Selected topics
Moral philosophy
Career capital
Job satisfaction
Anonymous advice
Unconventional advice
Advice for undergraduates
Advocacy
Existential risk
Top-recommended careers
See all topics →
Top articles from outside our guides
What makes for a dream job?
Best charities to donate to
Misconceptions about effective altruism
High-impact research questions
What are your chances of getting elected to Congress, if you try?
How many lives does a doctor save?
What's the impact of voting?
Advice for undergraduates
All articles →

2017 career guide
All career guide pages →
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- Effective Altruism: An Introduction
- Effective Altruism: Ten Global Problems
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Home Authors Jess Whittlestone

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Author archive: Jess Whittlestone

Filter by content type:
All37
Blog posts34
Career reviews2
Problem profiles1

2022

September

Epistemics and institutional decision-making (Updated)
Problem profile

2018

October

Academic research
Career review

2017

September

Epistemics and institutional decision-making (First published)
Problem profile

2015

October

Research into risks from artificial intelligence (First published)
Career review

September

Research into risks from artificial intelligence (Updated)
Career review

2013

October

Why I’m doing a PhD
Blog post
More on What Really Matters for Finding a Job You Love
Blog post

September

Should more altruists consider entrepreneurship?
Blog post
Making a difference through social entrepreneurship: an interview with Tom Rippin
Blog post

August

Introduction to our career model
Blog post
We’re looking for a Director of Fundraising and a Finance Manager!
Blog post

July

Your career is like a startup
Blog post
80,000 Hours is hiring!
Blog post

June

Want to make a real difference in development? AidGrade is hiring!
Blog post
How to add value in international development: an interview with Eva Vivalt
Blog post

May

What should I read if I’m new?
Blog post
Biases: how they affect your career decisions, and what to do about them
Blog post

April

How much is 50p worth to you?
Blog post

March

Should you plan your career?
Blog post
When to “go with your gut” in career choice
Blog post

February

Bringing it all together: high impact research management
Blog post
Two questions you won’t want to ask yourself but should
Blog post
Advice on going into a research career: An interview with Richard Thaler
Blog post

January

Encourage discussion, not defensiveness
Blog post
How to make a difference in research: An interview with Nick Bostrom
Blog post
3 ways to broaden your career horizons
Blog post
Are you cheating career choice?
Blog post

2012

December

The power of effective activism
Blog post
Our research on how to find a job you love
Blog post
How to judge your chances of success
Blog post
Want to be successful? Know your odds.
Blog post
How to choose a research topic: An interview with Anders Sandberg
Blog post

November

Do you think you’re better than average?
Blog post
Triumphs of intuition
Blog post
A formula for the perfect job?
Blog post
Should we stop interviewing people?
Blog post

September

Do you really know what job will make you happy?
Blog post

August

Should we sacrifice doing what we love to make a difference? part 2
Blog post
Should we sacrifice doing what we love to make a difference? part 1
Blog post

Filter by content type:
All37
Blog posts34
Career reviews2
Problem profiles1

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We're affiliated with the Future of Humanity Institute and the Global Priorities Institute at the University of Oxford.

We're affiliated with the Future of Humanity Institute and the Global Priorities Institute at the University of Oxford.

We work closely with the Centre for Effective Altruism and Giving What We Can.

80,000 Hours is a project of the Effective Ventures Foundation (England and Wales registered charity number 1149828 and registered company number 07962181) with a registered 501(c)(3) Exempt Organization in the USA (Centre for Effective Altruism USA Inc., EIN 47-1988398).

Please contact us to suggest ideas, improvements, or corrections.

We do our best to provide useful information, but how you use the information is up to you. We don’t take responsibility for any loss that results from the use of information on the site. Please consult our full legal disclaimer and privacy policy.

© 2023 – all rights reserved. Please contact us if you wish to redistribute, translate, or adapt this work.

80,000 Hours is a project of the Effective Ventures Foundation (England and Wales registered charity number 1149828 and registered company number 07962181) with a registered 501(c)(3) Exempt Organization in the USA (Centre for Effective Altruism USA Inc., EIN 47-1988398).

Please contact us to suggest ideas, improvements, or corrections.

We do our best to provide useful information, but how you use the information is up to you. We don’t take responsibility for any loss that results from the use of information on the site. Please consult our full legal disclaimer and privacy policy.

© 2023 – all rights reserved. Please contact us if you wish to redistribute, translate, or adapt this work.