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- Key ideas Understand what makes for a high-impact career.
  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
  Solutions
  The best solutions are far more effective
  Leverage
  What is leverage, and how to get it?
  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 →
- 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
  Government and policy
  Organisation-building at effective nonprofits
  Research
  Applying an unusual strength to a needed niche
  Earning to give
  The highest-impact career paths we've found
  Long-term AI policy
  AI safety technical research
  Grantmaker
  Roles in effective altruism organisations
  Founder of new projects
  Research into global priorities
  Biorisk research, strategy, and policy
  China specialist
  Forecasting research and implementation
  Sometimes-recommended paths
  High-impact but especially competitive
  Promising but under-researched
  Impactful if you’re an especially good fit
  Career capital building steps
  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 →
  Join our newsletter to get weekly updates on research, events, and high-impact job openings.
- Browse all our content Pick a topic to explore or check out our most popular pieces.
  Selected topics
  Moral philosophy
  Skills
  Job satisfaction
  Anonymous advice
  Unconventional advice
  What to study
  Advocacy
  Catastrophic risks
  Meta-causes
  Priority paths
  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 →
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
Solutions
The best solutions are far more effective
Leverage
What is leverage, and how to get it?
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 →
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
Government and policy
Organisation-building at effective nonprofits
Research
Applying an unusual strength to a needed niche
Earning to give
The highest-impact career paths we've found
Long-term AI policy
AI safety technical research
Grantmaker
Roles in effective altruism organisations
Founder of new projects
Research into global priorities
Biorisk research, strategy, and policy
China specialist
Forecasting research and implementation
Sometimes-recommended paths
High-impact but especially competitive
Promising but under-researched
Impactful if you’re an especially good fit
Career capital building steps
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 →
Join our newsletter to get weekly updates on research, events, and high-impact job openings.
Selected topics
Moral philosophy
Skills
Job satisfaction
Anonymous advice
Unconventional advice
What to study
Advocacy
Catastrophic risks
Meta-causes
Priority paths
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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Podcast
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Big picture (88)
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Priority paths (132)
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- Rules of Thumb (18)
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Other topics (163)
- Anonymous advice (18)
- Best resources (13)
- Effective Altruism (39)
- High Impact People (7)
- Job opportunities (11)
- Mental health (3)
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- Unconventional advice (66)
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Strategies (110)
- Advocacy (20)
- Earning to Give (79)
  - Donation effectiveness (12)
  - EtG advice (7)
  - EtG pros and cons (14)
  - Income (16)
- Influencing budgets (7)
Updates (41)

Topic archive: What to study

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2021

August

#110 – Holden Karnofsky on building aptitudes and kicking ass
Podcast

2018

May

#32 – Prof Bryan Caplan on whether the Case Against Education holds up, totalitarianism, & open borders
Podcast

2014

February

Case study: should I finish my degree?
Blog post
Should you do a degree?
Blog post

January

The Value of a Degree
Blog post

2013

November

Summary of our thoughts on how to pick a degree
Blog post

January

Career Advice for High-Impact Activism
Blog post
How to choose a degree – putting it all together
Blog post
10 steps to choosing your degree
Blog post
How to choose a degree – what do employers want?
Blog post
How to choose a degree for Earning to Give and Research
Blog post

Filter by content type:
All11
Blog posts9
Podcasts2

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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.