Guides
Key ideas Understand how to have more impact with your career.
Foundations
A definition of impact
Effective altruism
Moral uncertainty
Why problem selection is crucial
Future generations & their moral significance
Existential risks as a global priority
Strategy
Determine your personal fit
Career capital
How much to explore
Community & coordination
Avoiding accidental harm
How much risk to take
Impact & personal wellbeing
Read the full guide →
Join our newsletter to get weekly updates on research, events, and high-impact job openings.

Problem profiles Find out about the world's biggest and most neglected problems.
Top areas to work on
Positively shaping the development of AI
Global priorities research
Building effective altruism
Reducing the risk of catastrophic pandemics
Nuclear security
Improving institutional decision making
Extreme climate change
Other promising areas
Mitigating great power conflict
Global governance
Space governance
See all →
Go to problems hub →
Join our newsletter to get weekly updates on research, events, and high-impact job openings.

Career reviews Learn about high-impact career paths.
Key categories of high-impact careers
Research in relevant areas
Government & policy
Working at effective non-profits
Applying an unusual strength to a needed niche
Earning to give
Recommended paths
The highest-impact career paths we know about
More promising career ideas
How to apply your existing skills
Making the most of your current job
Doing good in any career
How to invest in yourself
See all our career reviews →
Join our newsletter to get weekly updates on research, events, and high-impact job openings.

Planning & decision making Use our tools to make concrete plans.
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 →
Join our newsletter to get weekly updates on research, events, and high-impact job openings.
Foundations
A definition of impact
Effective altruism
Moral uncertainty
Why problem selection is crucial
Future generations & their moral significance
Existential risks as a global priority
Strategy
Determine your personal fit
Career capital
How much to explore
Community & coordination
Avoiding accidental harm
How much risk to take
Impact & personal wellbeing
Read the full guide →
Join our newsletter to get weekly updates on research, events, and high-impact job openings.

Top areas to work on
Positively shaping the development of AI
Global priorities research
Building effective altruism
Reducing the risk of catastrophic pandemics
Nuclear security
Improving institutional decision making
Extreme climate change
Other promising areas
Mitigating great power conflict
Global governance
Space governance
See all →
Go to problems hub →
Join our newsletter to get weekly updates on research, events, and high-impact job openings.

Key categories of high-impact careers
Research in relevant areas
Government & policy
Working at effective non-profits
Applying an unusual strength to a needed niche
Earning to give
Recommended paths
The highest-impact career paths we know about
More promising career ideas
How to apply your existing skills
Making the most of your current job
Doing good in any career
How to invest in yourself
See all our career reviews →
Join our newsletter to get weekly updates on research, events, and high-impact job openings.

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 →
Join our newsletter to get weekly updates on research, events, and high-impact job openings.
Key ideas Understand how to have more impact with your career.
Foundations
A definition of impact
Effective altruism
Moral uncertainty
Why problem selection is crucial
Future generations & their moral significance
Existential risks as a global priority
Strategy
Determine your personal fit
Career capital
How much to explore
Community & coordination
Avoiding accidental harm
How much risk to take
Impact & personal wellbeing
Read the full guide →
Problem profiles Find out about the world's biggest and most neglected problems.
Top areas to work on
Positively shaping the development of AI
Global priorities research
Building effective altruism
Reducing the risk of catastrophic pandemics
Nuclear security
Improving institutional decision making
Extreme climate change
Other promising areas
Mitigating great power conflict
Global governance
Space governance
See all →
Go to problems hub →
Career reviews Learn about high-impact career paths.
Key categories of high-impact careers
Research in relevant areas
Government & policy
Working at effective non-profits
Applying an unusual strength to a needed niche
Earning to give
Recommended paths
The highest-impact career paths we know about
More promising career ideas
How to apply your existing skills
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.
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 →
Foundations
A definition of impact
Effective altruism
Moral uncertainty
Why problem selection is crucial
Future generations & their moral significance
Existential risks as a global priority
Strategy
Determine your personal fit
Career capital
How much to explore
Community & coordination
Avoiding accidental harm
How much risk to take
Impact & personal wellbeing
Read the full guide →
Top areas to work on
Positively shaping the development of AI
Global priorities research
Building effective altruism
Reducing the risk of catastrophic pandemics
Nuclear security
Improving institutional decision making
Extreme climate change
Other promising areas
Mitigating great power conflict
Global governance
Space governance
See all →
Go to problems hub →
Key categories of high-impact careers
Research in relevant areas
Government & policy
Working at effective non-profits
Applying an unusual strength to a needed niche
Earning to give
Recommended paths
The highest-impact career paths we know about
More promising career ideas
How to apply your existing skills
Making the most of your current job
Doing good in any career
How to invest in yourself
See all our career reviews →
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 →
Job board
Podcast
Get 1-1 advice

New releases
Community
About

Home Authors Jess Whittlestone

Search for:

New releases
Community
About

Author archive: Jess Whittlestone

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

2018

October

Academic research
Career review

2017

September

Improving institutional decision making
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

Join our newsletter

Get twice-monthly updates featuring our latest research, events near you, and high-impact career opportunities.

Get 1-1 advice

Want to tackle a pressing global problem with your career?

Speak to an advisor

Our research

Overview: Key ideas
Especially pressing world problems
Effective altruism
Future generations
List of careers
Career guide (2017)
All our research

Take action

Plan your career
Find a job
Get 1-1 advice
Join our community

Follow us

Subscribe to our podcast
Join our newsletter
Follow us on Twitter
Join our LinkedIn group
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on YouTube

About us

Why 80,000 Hours?
Meet the team
Our donors
Media coverage
Our mistakes

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

1aA

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

We're part of the Centre for Effective Altruism, and work closely with Giving What We Can.

80,000 Hours is part of the Centre for Effective Altruism, a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number 1149828) and a registered 501(c)(3) Exempt Organization in the USA (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.

© 2021 – all rights reserved. Please contact us if you wish to redistribute, translate, or adapt this work.

80,000 Hours is part of the Centre for Effective Altruism, a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number 1149828) and a registered 501(c)(3) Exempt Organization in the USA (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.

© 2021 – all rights reserved. Please contact us if you wish to redistribute, translate, or adapt this work.