“Maybe let the non-EA world train you” by ElliotT

This post is for EAs at the start of their careers who are considering which organisations to apply to, and their next steps in general.

Conclusion up front: It can be really hard to get that first job out of university. If you don’t get your top picks, your less exciting backup options can still be great for having a highly impactful career. If those first few years of work experience aren’t your best pick, they will still be useful as a place where you can ‘learn how to job’, save some money, and then pivot or grow from there.

The main reasons are:

• The EA job market can be grim. Securing a job at an EA organisation out of university is highly competitive, often resulting in failing to get a job, or chaotic job experiences due to the nascent nature of many EA orgs. An alternative [...]

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Outline:

(01:58) What's the problem? Three failure modes of trying to get an EA job

(06:15) Maybe let the non-EA world train you

(08:50) Let's get specific. Some of my story

(11:45) Caveats

(12:58) Wrapping up

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First published:
June 14th, 2024

Source:
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/ZvXBSs9Nz3dKBKcAo/maybe-let-the-non-ea-world-train-you

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.