AMA: Ask Career Advisors Anything

What is your general advice for people with no formal education or qualifications?

It seems to me that most of the career advice, on 80,000h for example, concerns people with a university education or with good financial capital, because they are obviously over-represented in this field. But what advice can you give to ‘blue-collar’ people who would like to have a useful career in line with EA ideas?

As the question is broad and impersonal, I don't know if you have any relevant answers to give.

Hi, 

I am from a lower-middle-income country (Lesotho) and have a Masters in Public Health. I want to use my career to do impactful work related to Health, but there are few organizations in the Effective Altruism community considered as 'impactful' in the country, for example none suggested by Givewell. At the same time, the country faces high unemployment rates if I were to consider having an impact through civil service. Options to do good according to effective altruism feel out of reach for me as a citizen of Lesotho. How do I navigate having an impact in a low-resource setting? Thanks so much. 

Thanks in advance for any nudges! I'm a 52yr old with 25yrs experience as a veterinary specialist and have already experienced compassion fatigue/burn out/depression/physical exhaustion as many other ER vets have), and am now semi-retired by starting my own veterinary consulting company (myself and my spouse only, no other employees). I am now 5 years into earning to give (GWWC pledge signed, giving ~$40k USD/yr, expected to continue this for ~10-15yrs). My life goal is to end factory farming. My question: Is there a monetary amount that you would say is "enough" that it would justify continuing to earn to give, rather than investing time in skills development/training to start a not-for-profit or volunteer part or full time in an aligned field? Thanks for providing us (via Magda's post) with the Probably Good's profile on veterinary medicine. I am quite certain that from a mental health perspective, I do not want to spend my time fighting with US policy-makers who support the carnistic approach to our US food system, nor am I willing to immerse myself in research to improve slaughter methods, but possibly could help increase enrichment/happiness for animals who are trapped within the system. I am reluctant to become an employee again (unless for my own organization), but maybe this is just a cop-out, as I'm used to working relatively little (earing ~$400k/yr working ~20hrs/wk). I have extra time to give, but don't want to spend it doing something less impactful (it feels risky making a transition). Since career advice is appropriately heavily focused on those finishing school and in their early career trajectory, advice focused on us oldies and even retired folks with loads of career capital to volunteer, and loads of cash to offload, your advice may be particularly impactful! Also, a big hello to other vets in this AMA :)

What % of roles are filled with job applications vs other methods (what are the other methods?)

What are some reasons hires did not work out and how did that affect the hiring process?

also posted on AMA with recruiters at impact-focused orgs

I'm curious what advice people have for confused undergraduates. It often feels as if the majority of the career advice is targeted to people who already show promising potential in one form or another, however some people like me might find it especially difficult to figure out their aptitudes and interests at an early level. 

I dropped out of high school at some point and was somewhat of a delinquent. I used to do pretty well across the board back in middle school, but I don't think that gives much insight (middle school is not that difficult). My state tests also showed that when I applied myself I similarly did well across a variety of domains. The GED was straight forward and I'd received good test scores without the need to study (but the GED is not too difficult either). I don't have any actual skills. No programming, no handywork, maybe a modest bit of communication and people skills as I continue to work in customer service, but not much else. I don't even really recall most of my studies. I'm not exactly sure how I passed the GED. 

Now I'm trying to figure out practical steps to explore and build up something. But it's especially difficult for me to figure out what to prioritize at this moment. There are so many things I want to learn, (not even necessarily for an impactful career, but rather in and of itself) yet I only have so much time and so much money to explore my interests. And I'm feeling like I might be running low on the later. 

How am I supposed to balance my time and still be "effective"? How do I go on about and choose what I ought to do? Do I spend extra time at school and be extra active in extracurricular, student organizations, and non academic groups simply spreading myself out in order to find some promising paths? Is there any opportunity for people like me to work at one of these Effective Altruism organizations given the extremely competitive talent pool that hiring managers are fishing from? 

I've been really interested to get more personal advising, but I've put the application process on hold for a while. Writing it out like this helps to calm my nerves down somewhat. But yeah, I feel like I'm in a hard spot and not sure how to proceed going forward.

Also I apologize if the writing comes across as messy. I haven't been taking as good a care of myself as I probably ought to.

Thank you for doing this!

I am a software engineer with now 10 years of experience. While I think I am doing very well, one of my biggest issues always has been socially: I am a very introverted, anxious person who is immensely stressed out by travel, afterwork and other things that are considered essential for the "family spirit" as some companies like to call it. I can communicate well and get along with people inside the work context, but I need a lot of recharge time, so to speak. While I tried to just get used to it, it exhausted me too much and didn't seem sustainable.

I've been looking into some job offerings in the EA sphere lately just out of curiosity for my future and unsurprisingly, the social aspect is usually very big. If you want to help people in poor countries, being there and seeing what you are working for is quite essential. And in general, altruism is about people connecting, so it seems natural that most jobs are very social.

Are there areas for meaningful jobs where someone like me could still fit in and do something good with their work, or is it better to stay in the corporate world in that case and give my money to those who do?

Switching from strategy consulting to high-impact strategy & ops roles – how to build traction beyond applications?

Hi all – quick background

• Who I am: 5-year strategy consultant now based in Munich
• Why I’m here: I want to learn what I can do beyond applying for roles to increase my impact and/ or prepare myself for those roles
• Constraints: Must remain Germany-based; can travel/ work abroad up to 6 months / yr. Open to freelance or fractional roles

What I’ve already done

1. Applications: ~6 months of targeted apps (80k Hours job board, climate-tech start-ups, impact consultancies). → Very few interviews; roles are scarce
2. NGO pro bono program: Launched a pro-bono program in my firm: partnered with two EA-aligned NGOs
3. Networking: Warm intros inside EA / social impact circles

The ask – looking for concrete moves I’m missing?

Examples I brainstormed below. Please add more!

• Freelance / fractional gigs - where can I find those projects?
• Education: I am also considering some kind of upskilling/ formal education. My goal is to land a role in Global Health & Development.
• Other levers: Anything else people used to break out of mainstream consulting and into high-impact roles faster?

Any pointers appreciated. Thank you!

— Kamil

Hi everyone,

I’m Didem Özcakır, currently finishing my Master’s degree in Economics at Koç University in Istanbul. Before this, I completed a double major in Economics and Political Science at Boğaziçi University.

My academic interests are broadly in political economy, development economics, and how public policies, governance, and infrastructure shape social and economic outcomes. Over the next few months, I plan to apply for PhD programs in Europe or the US, aiming for an academic career at the intersection of economics, political science, and policy impact.

Right now, I’m at a decision point about:
    •    Choosing a Master’s thesis topic that is both impactful and manageable within the remaining time,
    •    Identifying the right PhD programs and advisors who align with my interests,
    •    And building the right skills and research experiences to be well-prepared for a PhD.

I’d love to hear from people here who have:
    •    Gone through a similar path (Master’s → PhD in political economy/development),
    •    Have thoughts on high-impact or underexplored research areas in development and governance,
    •    Or can recommend programs, advisors, or resources worth looking into.

If you’ve been in a similar position, or have any advice, resources, or personal experiences to share, I’d deeply appreciate it! Even small pointers can help me navigate this more effectively.

Thanks so much in advance!

— Didem

Quick context: I'm a philosophy graduate aiming to transition into AI governance/policy research or AI safety advocacy. As part of this path, I'm planning to work at for-profit companies to build experience and financial stability during the transition, and I’m seeking advice on which for-profit roles can best build relevant skills.

My question is: what kinds of roles (especially outside of obvious research positions) are valuable stepping stones toward AI governance/policy research? I don’t yet have direct research experience, so I’m particularly interested in roles that are more accessible early on but still help me develop transferable skills, especially those that might not be intuitive at first glance.

My secondary interest is in AI safety advocacy. Are there particular entry-level or for-profit roles that could serve as strong preparation for future advocacy or field-building work?

A bit about me:
– I have a strong analytical and critical thinking background from my philosophy BA, including structured and clear writing experience
– I’m deeply engaged with the AI safety space: I’ve completed BlueDot’s AI Governance course, volunteered with AI Safety Türkiye, and regularly read and discuss developments in the field
– I’m curious, organized, and enjoy operations work, in addition to research and strategy

If you've navigated a similar path, have ideas about stepping-stone roles, or just want to chat, I'd be happy to chat over a call as well! Feel free to schedule a 20-min conversation here.

Thanks in advance for any pointers!

Hi everyone, thank you so much for doing this AMA – it’s incredibly valuable.

I’m currently tying to transition into the social impact space after 15+ years leading operations, project teams in sectors like banking, UX/UI, service design and innovation. My background combines private sector experience with community-building and political organising — including managing volunteer teams and co-leading a small political party.

Over the past months, I’ve been exploring the EA ecosystem more intentionally: reading, connecting with people, applying to impact-driven roles and applying to join the Introductory EA Program next month.

I’ve noticed that, despite my experience in leadership, operations, and user-centred design, it’s been hard to break into roles within high-impact orgs — possibly due to sectoral gaps or a lack of direct cause-area expertise.

My main questions:

• For someone mid-career, with generalist skills (people/project/ops leadership, strategy, stakeholder engagement, etc.), what are the most promising entry points into impactful roles?
• Do you see ops/strategy roles being open to career switchers from outside the EA ecosystem?
• Would it be more effective to focus on upskilling in a specific cause area, or to double down on positioning my transferable experience?

I’d deeply appreciate any advice, or even feedback on how I might be framing my experience too narrowly or too broadly.

Thanks again!

Hi all!

I’m currently transitioning out of a senior nonprofit marketing and communications role and exploring how to apply my skills toward greater impact. Ideally, I want to be involved in global health, development, or effective giving.

I’ve led multi-channel campaigns, built donor journeys and messaging systems, and advised on org-wide strategy. I’m also pursuing an MBA in Global Sustainable Development and am open to joining an EA-aligned org or possibly founding one. 

A few questions I’d love your thoughts on:

• What kinds of roles or orgs could most benefit from someone with a marketing/strategy background in this space?
• If I’m open to founding and have some relevant experience, but am still early in testing fit or intervention ideas, what are the most effective next steps?
• Any tips for building EA-aligned career capital from a comms-heavy background?

I’ve recently completed the ProbablyGood advising application, joined the HIP directory and EA for Christians, and am working on getting more involved through things like the Forum.

Thanks so much for your time!

Hey, I'm finishing my BCs in Computer Science with Math minor after having some AI experience in industry. I want to get into AI Alignment (AIA) research, either with independent funding, as a Masters / PhD student, or with an AI Company.

To this end, I'm publishing a "self study journal" on LessWrong. Basically giving myself assignments and trying to work up to the quality of AIA research worth funding. I've already developed some of my own research tastes, so I'm not looking for just any AIA position, ideally I can work on directions I am interested in and personally believe in the validity of.

Another detail. I'm hoping to work remote! I have little faith of finding a suitable position locally, (Victoria, BC, Canada) but I don't want to move away from family. I feel like AIA research can be done remotely, perhaps flying to events occasionally, but I'd love to get second opinions on this.

Can you nitpick my approach? How much should I split my effort between studying and networking to find roles.

Thanks : )

As a newcomer and CS undergrad student, I’m considering pursuing a career in safety research. I’d like to know how deeply I need to understand the core concepts of math (linear algebra, probability), machine learning (model training, loss functions, evaluation), and programming (testing, version control, reproducible workflows) to meaningfully contribute to a research project. I’d also like to know how can I succeed as a largely self-directed learner. Which resources should I be using to build and demonstrate these skills?

Hi! Thanks for this thread <3

What are your views on insider vs outsider strategy for someone who wants to have an impact on biosecurity/pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response (PPR) policies at the European Union level? - More specifically, how would you compare potential impact between landing a pivotal position in the EU where you could influence policy implementation directly versus for instance creating a think tank focused on advocating for a specific intervention (such as far-UVC)? 

I know the short answer is probably 'it depends' (of one's skill set, desires, luck, need for financial security, etc.), but I'm looking for insights on the insider versus outsider strategy discussion, as I'm wary that I might myself prioritize the former because of a lack of agency, thus missing on the possibility of doing work on more highly neglected/highly promising things.

I've talked to people who have opposite views on this matter, and I find it very important for me (and anyone maybe) to form a personal opinion. I love the work done at Blueprint Biosecurity for instance, and I know many EAs who do very cool advocacy/research work without relying on professional opportunities offered by already-in-place institutions. I admire them, and I'd be proud to showcase the same kind of commitment, but I really want to understand what path would lead me to a most impactful career, and i'm looking for advice on how to go about thinking about this.

Or maybe both strategies are not mutually exclusive? Maybe we need everyone doing cool stuff everywhere? Yeah, sure, but still, if you have strong opinions, please share (and not only regarding biosec) :)

Hi, thanks to the forum team for running this and thank you to all advisors! 

In December I get my MSc in Engineering Physics, where I've gone heavy on statistics, machine learning and mathematical modeling. I've also run several student orgs so I'm an adept administrator and leader. I want to leverage these skills to improve alternative proteins.

Core considerations currently:

• Is it worthwhile to take a few years in conventional food industry to learn their needs and skill up?
• Are any sub-fields (fermentation, cellag etc) in particular need of more engineers?
• Which roles/companies are best for building career capital in this field? Non-profits, startups, industrial companies?

I'm also very thankful for any general advice or considerations I might not've thought of. 

Thanks for facilitating this thread! The answers have been illuminating and a great source of resources.

I'm looking to get into AI safety, particularly strategy for reducing existing risk from AI. 

I'm a math tutor and freelance software developer with a bachelor's in Software Development and math coursework through multivariate calc and linear algebra. I'm reasonable we'll versed in politics and history and good at strategy games. I write flash fiction on the side.

Which sort roles work on  strategy for reducing existing risk from AI directly? Indirectly? What's a good way to get guidance about how to proceed?

Thanks so much! 😊 

I recently (May 2024) graduated with two bachelor's degrees in computer science and philosophy. Currently, I work as a software engineer for a utility company in my home state of Arkansas. I would like to do what I can to have a career that helps effectively. However, as someone born and raised in Arkansas, with all my family and friends here, I'm not really considering moving anytime soon. On the 80k Hours job board, most of the positions prefer relocation, at least for openings with my experience level (even the ones listed as remote). How can someone working in middle America contribute to effective causes without relocating?

Hi ! This is amazing. 

I graduated from the LSE in Political Science and Political Economy and now am a Research Fellow at Stanford King Center in Global Development.I might embark on a PhD but I am not sure which topic to choose from since I want to make sure it is useful for others - esp in the EA space in development. Additionally, a lot of my peers go to the World Bank (DIME) for instance, but does that lead to any impactful jobs? The pro is being surrounded with competent people but the con is you are in a bubble and can’t see right through the tangible help your doing for others. What would be a really good course of action ? 

Hello, from Brazil, a low-middle income class. Also,  I’m a rising Junior pursuing an Electrical Engineer Degree at NYU (in case there are other students that want to connect), I have been always interested in space. My specific ‘end career goal’ would be working on robotics or AI safety for Space Systems, to make sure the robots and AI being used inside and outside earth can be safe, aligned and prevented from hacked. I do feel sometimes that my major can give me a spike on that field but also I feel a lack of skills mainly related to algorithms. To solve that I’ve been focusing on coding projects and have been looking for opportunities to gather skills. What could be the best path that I could take for my end objective? In an EA perspective is a problem that the community is looking to address? What could be maybe people that I could contact or opportunities that I could apply to get skills or a glimpse of this field/research?

I’m still understanding if I would work on the implementation of AI/robotics or on safety research

So, I used to be a research scientist in AI/ML at Huawei Canada (circa 2017-2019), which on paper should make me a good candidate for AI technical safety work. However, in recent years I pivoted into game development, mostly because an EA friend and former moral philosophy lecturer pitched the idea of a Trolley Problem game to me and my interviews with big tech had gone nowhere (I now have a visceral disdain for Leetcode). Unfortunately, the burn rate of the company now means I can't be paid anymore, so I'm looking around at other things again.

Back in 2022, I went to EA Global Washington DC and got some interviews with AI safety startups like FAR and Generally Intelligent, but couldn't get past the technical interviews. As such, I'm not sure I'm actually qualified to be an AI safety technical researcher. I also left Huawei in part due to mental health issues making it difficult to work in such a high stress environment.

I've also considered doing independent AI safety research, and applied to the LTFF before and been rejected without feedback. I also applied to 80,000 Hours a while back and was also rejected.

Regularly reading the EA Forums and Less Wrong makes me continue to think AI safety work is the most important thing I could do, but at the same time, I have doubts I won't mess up and waste people's time and money that could go to more capable people and projects. I also have a family now, so I can't just move to the Bay Area/London and burn my life for the cause either.

What should I do?

What are your thoughts on pursuing a PhD compared to 3-4 more years of work experience? How much career capital is a formal PhD degree actually worth?

This answer might depend a lot on the context, so:

• I have a degree in pure mathematics and that is also where I would potentially pursue a PhD. I have high grades, but not from a top university.
• I am living in Germany and am willing, but not eager, to move to another country in order to maximise my impact.
• I am considering Earning to Give as my most impactful option (though I am far from certain yet). If I do not pursue a PhD, my next step would most likely be trying to asses my fit for quantitative trading: https://80000hours.org/career-reviews/quantitative-trading/ (To make matters more complicated, it is mentioned that you can enter the field with graduate degrees, but some roles do require a PhD. So if you are knowledgeable in this area, some advice would be especially welcome.)
• I have neither a concrete plan nor a scholarship for my potential PhD (yet) and would change my university anyways. So it might also be a consideration to try some jobs and internships and pursue a PhD later on if worthwhile. However I am under the impression that returning into academia is more difficult than staying there.

Hi! I'm considering various job paths, but the three main ones are consultancy, operations, and M&E roles. I'm in various stages of various job applications for all three, but am facing the question of which career move (my first, having just graduated) will help me the most. Some people have said that consultancy will be the biggest up-skilling and career capital move, but equally some of the ops and M&E roles are for EA orgs which feels like immediate positive impact. I'd love any guidance you can offer for this. Thanks :)) 

Hello everyone

 My name is Dr. Nnaemeka Emmanuel Nnadi. I’m a medical microbiologist and lecturer at Plateau State University, Bokkos (PLASU), Nigeria. A few years ago, I received some funding to establish a Center for Phage Biology and Therapeutics. While the funds were helpful, they weren’t sufficient to make the lab fully independent or commercially viable.

Over time, I’ve developed a strong conviction that phage therapy holds immense potential for addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Africa. Lately, I’ve been seriously considering leaving academia to start a for-profit biotech company focused on low-cost phage diagnostics, therapeutics, and biomanufacturing

But here’s my dilemma:

• Building a biotech company in a resource-limited setting like Nigeria feels daunting—lack of infrastructure, regulatory hurdles, unstable power, and limited investor appetite all compound the challenge.

• I worry whether investors outside Nigeria would ever see this kind of startup as worth supporting.

• And perhaps more fundamentally, I wonder: Can a Nigerian-born phage company realistically compete with counterparts in North America, Europe, or Asia?

I’d deeply appreciate your thoughts—particularly from those who’ve built or supported biotech in low-resource contexts. What frameworks, partners, or mindset shifts might help someone like me make this leap with a better chance of success?

Thank you.

Emmanuel 

Hi,

I am a doctoral candidate in the final stages of my studies (finalising my thesis for print and submission at this point). I am looking for advise or maybe a direction on where should I begin from if I wish to pursue a postdoc especially from universities abroad, as my education from my undergrad and doctoral studies has been based in India. 

In the last few months I have received rejections from every position/place I applied for. I believe that it is the lack of publications that is putting me behind in all these applications, but I am not sure. I do have some publications, but they are very interdisciplinary in nature, like one or two focus purely on a region based peace or conflict issue, while one or two are based on AI and its use in international law within context of my thesis.  I would be happy to share my CV, if that is where the problem persists. So I would like to ask if any of you who were at the final stage of doctoral work how did you navigate the process of choosing a long term career/short term opportunity to enhance skillset.  

Junior Software Developer with 2 years of experience looking to move into pro-animal welfare organization / spaces and happy for any advice Animal Advocacy Careers  or other advisors can provide.

First, a little background:

• Who I am: 2-year (currently employed) Software Developer / IT Professional (Python, Kubernetes, Cloud, for example) living in Berlin
• Why I’m here: Currently highly motivated to find a more fulfilling role for an animal-focused nonprofit or project
• Constraints: Must remain Germany-based, open to hybrid or remote 

I love my job as a software developer. However, I am currently at a point where I am looking for a next step and challenge in my career, and at the same time, working on a project that is impactful and pro-animal, as this is the cause that I am truly passionate about. I've taken a look at various job boards, including that of Animal Advocacy Careers, and it seems though that this is a EA-Focus Area which is harder to find roles and impact as a software developer, or potential application/start-up ideas are also limited (I am not super creative in this sense though).

My questions would be:

• Am I correct in this assessment, that it is harder to find roles in this sector as a software developer?
• What recommendations would you have in terms of networking and potentially partnering with similarly ambitious people in this field, so that I get in contact with others that are using tech to improve animal welfare?
• What would be some recommendations in terms of how I should develop my skillset in tech, in order to best align with the needs of pro-animal companies/non-profits/projects?

Thank you so much for taking the time!

I have a fairly long career in IT infrastructure behind me; much of it has been working for banks and a few years ago I decided to try to use my skills for a bit more good. I ended up working for a moderately well-known SaaS company that specialises in helping small businesses. 

I've recently quit in order to migrate back to the UK, where I did most of my education and built my career. My specialism these days: I have a lot of experience building cloud platforms and my skillset is biased towards today which is mostly useful to large enterprises: AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, Observability tooling, automated pipelines, ...

I arrive back in the UK in a few weeks and will be starting my job hunt in earnest then. Where can I use these skills to the best effect?

What is your general advice for people who are still in college and wanting to work in EA, but are not geographically in any EA heavy-areas?

I am guessing building career capital, but I guess that means accepting I will throw away my impact if AGI comes in the next 10 years. That is okay, I have pretty uncertain AI timelines. I am living in Texas and doing things like moving to DC / silicon valley would mean losing most of my network. 

For reference, I just finished freshman year of electrical engineering. I am considering technical sales as an increasingly better way to earn career capital than regular engineering (I think the most impactful roles require social skills more than technical ones), plus many other benefits. 

I am also asking this question on behalf of students who might join my university effective altruism group. We are struggling with finding EA aligned people at Texas A&M university, and my hypothesis is that we are attracting the wrong people. We will roll out the next round of recruitment next month, but I wonder what kind of majors are a good fit for EA.

I am fourth year university student getting my bachelors in aerospace engineering (space systems design). Based on my trajectory, and the 80000 hours ranking, I think that I can have the most meaningful impact on problems in space tech and governance.

However, I don’t know how to orient myself within that space. My most notable technical skills are in computer vision and control systems. I would really appreciate some insight on which problems I am suited to meaningfully contribute to, and how I might direct my attention to deepen my impact.

Thanks

Hi, I'm 24 years old. Due to past mental health challenges, there is a big gap in my resume. I just started working as a freelancer in an AI tutor position 7 months ago. Also, I couldn't go to university for the same reason.

My skills include:

• Development Economics: MITx Online certificate for Data, Economics, and Development Policy
• Cybersecurity: "hacker" rank on Hack the Box
• Mathematics: Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus (Learned through MITOCW, not just watching, but solving problems)
• English speaking skills: Upper-intermediate (B1 to B2)

Currently, my health issues are almost resolved, and I'm prioritizing improving English speaking skills. I applied for 80000 hours' 1-on-1 career advising just before the Career Week started. 
(it says it takes about 2 weeks to review, which is why I'm commenting anyway.)

Questions:

• What would you do if you were in my position?
• Should I start networking in the EA community? My English teacher says my English is good enough for the international community, but I'm still nervous. (I've never seen much about non-English speakers on the EA forum, and I don't think EA Japan is active now.)

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks for doing this! I'm a mid-career policy person currently in what I consider to be a relatively high-impact role in a non-ai cause area. I am good at my job but keep thinking about ai and and whether I should be pivoting to an ai policy role. I've been reading books about ai and I've listened to lots of 80k hours, Dwarkesh, and other podcasts on the topic. I have a strong sense of various threat models from ai but I still don't have developed views on what good ai policy would look like.   What should I be reading/listening to in order to develop these views? Do you think it make sense to apply to ai policy roles before my views on optimal policy are well-developed?

Hi all!

I am 31 years old with background in Biology/Biotechnology and pivoted to the world of Information Technology about 6 years ago with a Master's degree in High Performance Computing & Data Science. I am currently based near Barcelona (Spain) working as a research engineer in a supercomputing research center.

Following on from this EA post, I decided I should identify impactful projects/organizations/people that are are doing exceptional work, and see if/how I could help with them. Can anybody point me to the right direction?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi! I'm quite early in my career (and new to EA), as a 3rd year undergraduate completing a BA in Philosophy and Sociology. I am fairly sure that research (academic, industry or other) would be a good fit for me, and I have browsed through many lists of EA theses to consider whether I would be interested in pursuing any of them. It seems like the list that excites me most is the list here, compiled by Spencer Greenberg. I am very interested in completing a phD in either Philosophy or Psychology, with research interests in areas including moral psychology (e.g. expansion of the moral circle), life satisfaction (e.g. the measurement of happiness), or other areas within ethics, compassion and/or emotional intelligence.

I have read the page at 80000 Hours on Academic Research and will likely go down that path, but  was just wondering if there are any obvious alternatives to academic research that I've missed, based on my research interests e.g., any EA organisations that explicitly research these areas? 

I was also wondering the extent to which location affects impact i.e., whether my research/impact would be benefitted more by moving closer to circles of other EA academics (I am based in Sydney but open to relocating). 

There's much to research here myself, but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask if there were any immediate pointers, and for any other general advice - thanks so much for reading and considering this!

Hi there, thanks for making this thread!

I'm considering working towards a career in medical engineering, specifically focusing on either frugal design or biosecurity. My question is, how do I get there?

At the moment I am studying for A-levels in Maths, Physics and Biology, expecting good results at the end of the year. I plan to do an MEng in medical engineering at university, but after that I'm lost.

How should I get the most out of uni? What should I do afterwards? What areas in global health need the most attention?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

What are your thoughts on the seemingly over aching demand but lack of supply for impactful work? It seems like most legs are encouraging highly impactful careers and once people are convinced, are left with minimal opportunities. Are there thoughts on encouraging other routes like ETG or Community Building?

I am a fully qualified science teacher, took a break to do a PhD in Maths, which will be finishing in the next year or two, then will be looking to get into a longer term career. I have a lot of experience in the education sector, but am very interested in new challenges, broadening my horizon and even looking at the EA sector itself, because I find it all very philosophically interesting too.

I want to maximise my impact and don't have much interest in AI (I find it very interesting in general, unrelated to the EA 'interest'). 

I enjoy thinking long term, difficult technical challenges, working with people, but unsure of what directions to pursue and what actions to start taking now. Any advice appreciated and follow up questions welcome!

Hi! I'm a 22 year old with a Bachelor's in English with software experience. I have a lot of free time on my hands due to living very frugally.

I'm currently interested in starting up an EA non-profit. I would prefer to help people in impoverished countries because the per-dollar impact would be higher. That said, I don't want to leave my home state and know very little about international development. As such, most of my ideas pertain to the area I live in - such as encouraging people to go car-free to fight climate change or finding more effective ways to help homeless people. I'm curious if you have any thoughts about this.

Additionally, even if I don't start my own non-profit, I'm looking to get more experience in the EA and non-profit space. I've considered applying to volunteer for an EA organization such as Shrimp Welfare Project, but I'm concerned that if the organization is more than like twenty people, my work will be narrow and repetitive, making it not a particularly helpful learning experience.

At this point in my life, I'm looking to get learning opportunities that also have impact and will lead to more opportunities in the EA space. Is this a good idea, is volunteering at a large EA organization a good idea, and how do I find very early stage EA organizations?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

What is your general advice for someone wanting to leave their job for one that is higher impact? I have a background in environmental governance (MSc from Oxford, BA from UBC). I’ve worked for an environmental consulting firm for about a year and half, and the lack of organization and reluctance to embrace AI is pushing me to leave. 

I’m looking for advice for how to quit my job effectively (what kind of conversations I should be having with my managers), and how to move into higher impact (preferably in person roles). I’ve read the 80k book and have started my career plan (and spreadsheet) but any additional advice would be appreciated :) 

Cheers! 

Gabrielle 

Hello. I have been working in the AI field for 18 months as an AI trainer. I am a freelance worker for a data company, reviewing model responses, and working to improve the model's ability, helpfulness, and output. Before this, I worked as a freelance marketer and content writer. I moved into freelance work while my children were young and I became a single mother. Before I became a freelancer, I worked as a project manager at a digital content provider.
As my children grow and my time opens up, I would like to return to employment, using my skills as a writer, communicator, and project manager to help orgs that are shaping the future of AI, in safety and governance. My primary motivation is user benefit, and I believe my unique blend of marketing skills, knowledge of model output, and growing interest in AI safety make me a good fit for a coordinator or marketing role within AI safety and governance.
My technical AI knowledge is limited, as I work on the user end, and I have a BA in English Literature. What advice do you have for me, as I would like to expand my understanding of AI safety and return to work in a part-time, most likely entry-level role?

Many thanks for reading my question!
Jenny

I’m a journalist researching and writing about democratic reforms that would counterweight or constrain populism. The more I delve into this the more it seems like an urgent priority. I think the incentive structure created by today’s media-political environment encourages politicians like Trump to become more populist and that leads to lower quality governance, with visibly much less well informed people in charge.

But governance increasingly seems like an AI problem to me. If super intelligence is coming quickly it will radically increase the power of some governments (eg US) and could cause existing power structures to ossify. If politicians in charge have bad priorities or incentives, they could use AI to make the world much worse instead of much better. We may be running out of time to fix these incentives.

Reform in my mind means far greater citizen participation, using a mix of online platforms, “alignment assemblies” (online citizens assemblies + deliberation, but much faster and cheaper), sortition for citizen observers of government at all scales, and other ways to depolarise debate, build trust, and find consensus. A Tang-derived ambitious digital democracy.

But this is a surprisingly neglected problem, with comparatively tiny resources devoted to it, especially in comparison to the huge heft behind algorithms like those on social media which distort political debate.

Does this very rough sketch of my argument seem reasonable? Is this the sort of project EA orgs might fund some research on? If so, how could I contribute to that effort?

Hi; thanks so much for doing this! So, for a long time I had planned to try to become a congressional staffer in order to do good with my career, with my fallback being working as a software engineer at an organization working on one of the world's most pressing problems. After I finished an undergrad degree in applied mathematics, about 2 years went by, and though I was able to find some work in that time, I wasn't able to get a job on a congressional staff, so I decided to pivot to the software engineer plan. I started a master's program in computer science, which I'm currently about halfway through, but when I began the master’s program I didn't realize how quickly AI was advancing, or how much of the work done by software engineers would get automated. Between the master’s program and my part-time job, I have very little time for other things, like setting up my own, private projects to demonstrate my abilities to future employers, networking, and volunteering; and I'm starting to worry that things like those might be more conducive to me finding a stable, relatively-AI-resistant career than continuing in the master's program. However, there is something I should note, which might be a good reason to finish the master's degree: I currently have something that's not technically a scholarship, but for all practical purposes it is; so funding the master’s degree isn't an issue. If I leave without finishing, I'd say there's a 60-80% chance I could get the “sort-of scholarship” again; but of course that means there's a 20-40% chance I couldn't. In light of all that, would you recommend that I leave the degree program before finishing, and/or try for a different career path than software engineer? I'm currently on track to finish in about August 2026; though we're allowed to skip summer semesters if we want to, so I could also finish in December 2026. In case that affects your answers.

Thanks so much for your help! I really appreciate some guidance on this stuff.

I'm a recent graduate in political science / economics and am looking for internships/ entry level positions in Madrid or Spain more broadly. Are there any specific high-impact or lesser-known organisations you would recommend? Further, what are your thoughts on the impact of sustainability consulting? It is the area where I have found the most opportunities but fear the greenwashing aspect of consultancy. Thank you for taking the time! 

What can I do to navigate well in my current place of work where I am being marginalized and faced tribalism. I'm a senior faculty member of the institution but my voice must not be heard because I don't belong to their tribe. I'm altruistic in nature but this is their worst worry. I do work secretly and unnoticed for me to make positive impact or otherwise I face severe victimization and difficulty. Will resigning from the institution be the best option for me? What can I do to continue my career in Aquaculture and Fisheries in this situation I found myself. I need advice 

Most impact career advice focuses on AI, animals, or global health. I’d love your thoughts on less-talked-about but highly impactful paths, especially around improving how social systems (like immigration, youth integration, or education) treat children and families.

I’ve spent the last 6–7 years working in early childhood, cross-cultural education, and informal programme insight roles, now transitioning toward more systems-adjacent work (like inclusion, programme relevance, or family wellbeing). How would you assess or prioritise this kind of work from an impact perspective? Are there underexplored roles here that deserve more attention?

How likely is it for someone to obtain early-career transition funding either via Open Philanthropy career transition grant or the LTFF (opens back again in August)? Also, how does someone boost their chances of obtaining such funding?

I have been involved in AI Safety for the past 1 year via a multitude of things (e.g. read Human Compatible/Superintelligence, completed AI Safety Fundamental by BlueDot independently, almost finished all of the ARENA content independently, engaged with AI Safety Hungary as a teaching assistant for their online version of ARENA, engaged with my local AI Safety group in Ireland by giving a talk, decided to have my MSc. thesis on AI Debate via Program Synthesis and probably most importantly, doing research as part of MARS 3.0 sponsored by Cambridge AI Safety Hub), but I am scared that I have not done enough for me to quit my job and obtain the necessary funding for next couple of months. Very recently, I have been approved for a 80k career advising session, but I would like more opinions on this specifically.

There are multiple possibilities here (given my target is around 20k funding in the next 9-12 months):

• Get some limited funding (let's say something around 10k) for the next 3-6 months, then reapply for more at a later date.
• Apply for limited funding from different sources (let's say 10k from Open Philanthropy and 10k from LTFF), which equals my desired amount (this could be dropped to something like 5k from each, and apply the strategy from the previous point).
• Apply for the desired amount with the hope that they will fund as close as possible.

The main goal during this career transition period is for me to focus my full energy/focus on AI Safety and complete some research projects that can boost my chances of obtaining further funding (this is mostly governmental funding) for a PhD in AI Safety next year.

I have a more general question on CVs: 
I've always held to the school of thought that you should highlight the things that are most relevant for what you're applying for, and basically leave other stuff out - or refer to eg LinkedIn. I've done quite a lot across different areas, and this now leaves me readjusting my CV constantly! I'm also not necessarily sure I'm cutting the 'right' stuff - how do I know if the hiring team are actually interested in something I've done but they haven't put it in the job ad as a requirement... A friend recently told me they were advised to condense the white space on their CV and add more content to it. What are your thoughts on this?
 

Hello,

I have recently graduated from the University of Manchester with a degree in Physics. I have written my dissertation all about how ChatGPT works and also conducted an experiment on its effectiveness at marking physics lab reports. (If interested in reading, I have linked below)

 I am really keen to start a career in AI safety, as I believe this is the most pressing matter that we face. 

I am based in Manchester and would love some advice on what my next steps should be to choose a career in AI that will make the biggest impact.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ronnie-yaniv-921492346_dissertation-activity-7331315337654673410-UT0L?utm_medium=ios_app&rcm=ACoAAFaRe6kBQL90wPd3qWvu6aPqfdPVp5LhX4E&utm_source=social_share_send&utm_campaign=copy_link

Hello! I'm a veterinarian (licensed to work in the UK and EU) with 14 years of experience (treating only dogs and cats). What job could I take on that allows me to work remotely and part-time? I already volunteer lots of my time with a small animal charity in a developing country, but I feel I'm not making that much of an impact. I want to be more useful for animals and/or people!

I'm finishing my MSc in NLP (using LLMs for Information Extraction) this December, and I do not plan to start a PhD immediately afterward. I will probably apply to PhDs in September 2026. Do you have any ideas on what I could do in the roughly 6 months in between that would strengthen my applications?

Additional information: I want to shift my field of study to sustainability/governance and currently lack academic experience in this domain.

Thanks a lot to the advisors and to the forum!

What are things orgs are doing to support working parents? 

Can you name orgs you find very supportive of people managing a career and parenting? 

Are there programs in EA to support people returning to a career after a parenting/caregiving break?

Some people want to switch to part-time for a few years or indefinitely, take a career break, or need flexible hours to raise kids. 

Hey everyone,

I am Oğuz, and I am currently a political science/international relations PhD candidate located in Türkiye. My current research plan is to focus on how threat perception in politics works and why we see certain events as more threatening than others (even when the harm is less). Through this agenda, I believe we can improve collective behavior and create political institutions that are more effective at handling existential risks.

Previously, I have done some research work on biological weapons and how threats were framed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within EA, I have finished BlueDot Impact's Biosecurity Fundamentals program and was also a summer research fellow in the Cambridge Existential Risks Initiative (now ERA) in 2021.  One common discussion point about biorisks (and x-risks in general) was how often large-scale and concrete threats, such as AI misuse or climate change, were not taken as seriously in the public eye or quickly forgotten once the threat passes. As such, I decided to pivot to this research area as a more "meta" approach to x-risks.

In the near future, I have three career options in mind for my meta approach:

1. Policy: Working on policy ideas to help governments and institutions avoid being tricked by people who use fear and false threats to push their own agendas
2. Communication: Helping people spot when media or politicians are using scare tactics and teaching better ways to think rationally about which threats are more serious.
3. Research: Academic work to better understand why we worry about some risks in politics but ignore bigger, more dangerous ones

I would appreciate support on:

• Career opportunities in EA/non-EA that are relevant to these career paths
• People or institutions that I can reach out to that work in similar areas
• Opportunities or recommendations for improving the skills that I might need for the communication track

 Thank you in advance for any comments and recommendations!

Hi all,

I’m a 25-year-old PhD student (just finished my master's) in Turkey, working in wireless communications, with a focus on signal processing, information theory, and physical-layer technologies. I really love the field, especially the math behind it, and while research is sometimes stressful (more than sometimes), I honestly don’t see myself doing anything else long term.

That said, I’ve been engaging with the EA community recently, and I’m unsure how to connect my work with any of the top EA cause areas. The one that feels closest is AI alignment, but I’ve never worked in AI/ML directly. Some people in my field are exploring ML for wireless systems, but that’s still pretty far from core alignment research.

So here’s where I’m stuck:

-Is there a way for someone with my background to make a meaningful contribution to EA-aligned cause areas, without leaving the field I love?

For example, would working on non-terrestrial networks (improving global internet access) be a meaningful contribution to global development or infrastructure resilience?

-Or should I consider earning to give as my primary contribution, while continuing a career I’m good at and love?

-Are there overlooked intersections between wireless/communications and critical EA cause areas like AI safety, biorisk, or catastrophic risk resilience?

-Or should I make a longer-term pivot toward more "core" EA paths, even if that means stepping outside of my comfort zone?

I really want to do something that matters, but I’m starting to feel like there’s no good path that lets me do impactful work and stay true to my core interests. I’d appreciate any guidance.

Thanks in advance!

Hello

I am a fourth year student of international relations. I am currently interested in research writing but I can’t seem to orient myself on how it works as well as how i can merge it with my career path to do impactful work to the society at large so i don’t know if you can recommend a point which i can start from-maybe online courses or advice .

Anything can go a long way. Thank you

What do you think of the world of development finance? How do DFIs, MDBs and associates impact investors/foundations rank with the lens of EA. And with that in mind, what would a corporate position within one of these organisations be a good career?

I'm 30 years old and for the past 4 years I'm "my own person" (after a long service in the IDF).
I'm a mid-level+ developer, mostly frontend, and I'm looking into making an impact on our local & global political system.

It can be a political impact also in a broad way, for example minimizing social network disinformation & polarization. The important thing driving me to act is to improve society's democratic institutions and decision-making mechanisms - to be more aligned with social welfare.

Oh, and I finished 1 out of 2 years of M.A in Political Science. Not sure yet if it will benefit my career, but I had to give it a go.

Some things I've learned over the past years:

• Realized I might not be a good entrepreneur / CEO material, since it requires a lot of guts, constant motivation and self-belief, resources that take too many days off in my inner system..
• Working hands-on in an NGO in non-tech roles, is not playing to my advantage. I've done it for 1.5 years, and while it was very rewarding and motivating to work in an NGO that affects policy and public opinion - it felt like I don't make a difference to the organization's abilities.
• I'm getting more tired from reading tons of articles than from programming

I currently feel like I have 2 main options:

1. Re-develop my dev career once again, work in organizations that combat fake news / disinformation and such. Might not be the best in it and might feel like I'm a hands-on nobody unless I manage to become a good (product / R&D) manager who steers something in the organization's choices towards strategic directions.

2. Continue in my academic & research path. I have interesting questions that I think are worth investigating, and my tech skills can be unique and rare in this area. 
   I'm worried about 

   (a) How much being a researcher will affect me energetically - it might make me inefficient. 
   (b) Salary, future salary, the instability and uncertainty of the future, and my family
   (c) Losing my dev-career "safety net" completely. 

Basically, (1) is less ambitious but safer. (2) is more ambitious but less clear if will get me somewhere. Right now my idea is to go for 1 and somehow combine research along my daily life, or indeed steer myself into a manager position.

Would love to get any feedback and ideas - for maximizing 1&2's tradeoffs and for possible R&D organizations to see myself in.

Hello!

Thank you for the opportunity to ask a question about career advice here.

I'm 35 years old and currently working in the field of human rights. I lead a project focused on human rights education for teenagers via social media. Recently, I also started a new role as project manager for a project that is developing an ethical AI chatbot.

I began my career as a social worker and, alongside my work, completed two master’s degrees - one in legal philosophy and one in law. During my studies, I worked at a university-based human rights institute, where I gained experience in legal research, created educational content for students, and co-authored a few articles.

After that, I transitioned into my current role, where I work on various human rights projects. For my final law thesis, I focused on AI bias and women's rights, which sparked my deep interest in the intersection of AI, data protection, tech policy, and human rights.

Since then, I’ve continued building my knowledge in this area through various courses. I completed the AI Governance training by BlueDot, another training focused on the EU AI Act, and one that explored AI from a human rights perspective. As a final paper for the BlueDot course, I wrote a policy toolkit on applying a human rights-based approach to AI governance in content moderation -this really encapsulates my main area of interest. I also recently completed a policy writing course.

I would love to transition more fully into the fields of tech & law, tech policy, and/or advocacy in these areas. However, despite putting a great deal of effort into each application - carefully tailoring each one - I haven’t had any success so far. Over the past six months, I’ve applied to nearly every relevant fellowship and many early-career positions, including internships and traineeships.

I approach things with a strong intersectional lens, which I believe could be a unique asset in this field.

Could you advise me on how to move forward and where I should continue looking to make this career transition?

I’m currently based in Canada but working remotely for an Austrian NGO. I'm open to relocating to most European countries.

Thank you again!

Good day everyone,

My name is Chioma Madelin Ikpeamaeze from Nigeria.

My question goes this way.

I have been searching  for job for years now. It seems like all the opportunities available requires AI knowledge. Why can’t companies hire people and train them , for people who are trainable in using AI tools for that specific job?

Secondly, I have 5 years of experience working with humanitarian organizations , under a program( National Home Grown School feeding as a food vendor, feeding Nursery and Primary school pupils ) in my Country. Since the program ended I have been applying for job but to no avail.

 I have 2 years of customer service experience , right now , I want to transit to customer service representatives, is there any AI tool related courses used in customer service I can learn ?

Thank you

Good day, I've Masters in Public Health and have served mostly as research assistant for several public health projects which have equipped me with research skills. I want to continue in this field as a researcher and I've research ideas that can be useful to solve global problems. I'm not sure how or who to go to in real life to help me on how to achieve this desires. I need advice in this area, thanks.

Do you know any sources of funding that accept outside game strategies like mass protest, social media channels run by citizen journalists, supporting whistleblowers and so on?

All the big EA funders like Dustin Moswkowitz, Jaan Tallin, Dario Amodei, etc still clearly fund inside game strategies.

hi im a recent biotech grad but i have profound interest in ai alignment, cognitive science and computational modelling. how do i make an effective career pivot or shift such that my technical and mathematical fundamentals are solid and i can apply for an allied grad school program. Right now my math and programming skills aren’t up to the mark hence i would like to know an effective route to master it asap.

Hi! Would any of the career advisors possibly be available for a 1-on-1 call?

I currently work in technical AI governance/safety research. I'm contemplating getting into fundraising or donor advising, as well as some other possibilities, and would love to talk through this with someone.

Thanks for considering! 🙏

Progress in understanding the human brain could significantly advance our ability to treat neurological and psychiatric diseases, many of which currently lack effective interventions. Computational modeling and large-scale data analysis are increasingly central to neuroscience, but they are often limited by available computing power.

I want to work on the computer science side of this problem by specializing in High-Performance Computing. 

I'm currently an undergrad, doing some research on program autotuning and compilers, which is the closest I can get to HPC at my university right now. This winter, I’ll be doing a Software Engineering internship at Amazon, and after finishing my degree next summer, I'm debating between:

1. Pursuing a master’s degree in HPC or related areas, to dive deeper into the technical problems.
2. Building career capital in big tech, and potentially reorienting toward brain-computation work from a stronger industry position later.

Does this seem like a sensible plan? Are there particular pitfalls or opportunities I might be overlooking?

Thanks in advance!

Hello.

Could you provide advice for someone wanting to work in strategic foresight for social/environmental good? Unfortunately I'm unable to just up-sticks and leave my current role for one paid significantly less (ie do an internship or suchlike) due to mortgage and family commitments. It's also something that my current employers are not supportive of me embedding in my current role.  

It seems that most of the courses and vacancies that I see come up are for senior level people. Is there scope for someone, with a good level of education (masters) but not a particularly strong track record of previous work (I've done lots of things but nothing for a particularly long amount of time), to get involved in strategic foresight? 

Thanks!