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Understand what makes for a high-impact career.
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Your most important decision
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Why problem selection is crucial
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This could be the most important century
Our current list of pressing problems
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Which careers let you contribute most?
Some solutions are far more effective than others
Our list of high-impact careers
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Fit is more important than you think
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What is career capital?
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Balancing impact and doing what you love
Aim higher: a rational case for dreaming big
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How much do careers differ in impact?
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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
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What's the impact of voting?
Advice for undergraduates
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2017 career guide
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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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Richard Batty
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Author archive:
Richard Batty
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15
Blog posts
11
Career reviews
4
2018
May
Congressional staffer
Career review
2017
October
Policy-oriented government jobs
Career review
June
Machine Learning PhDs
Career review
2016
December
Product manager in tech
Career review
2013
May
How important is networking for career success?
Blog post
Intelligence matters more than you think for career success
Blog post
April
How to prioritise – Meta skills part 4
Blog post
Dramatically increase your productivity by using a task management system – Meta-skills Part 3
Blog post
How to finally do what you’ve been putting off – Meta skills part 2
Blog post
Increase your productivity to boost your impact – Meta skills part 1
Blog post
How to improve your memory – Meta skills part 5
Blog post
February
How to find out earnings for different jobs
Blog post
The best resources for planning your career
Blog post
2012
July
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: A popular but flawed way of understanding your personality
Blog post
Biases in career choice: Don’t be misled by the category ‘high impact career’ when deciding between careers
Blog post
Filter by content type:
All
15
Blog posts
11
Career reviews
4
