Alex Lawsen on avoiding 10 mistakes people make when pursuing a high-impact career
Sep 6, 2023
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Career advice expert Alex Lawsen discusses common mistakes people make when pursuing a high-impact career, including taking rankings too seriously, not trying hard enough to fail, overthinking career choices, and ignoring conventional wisdom. They also explore the importance of recognizing success, optimizing for long-term impact, and navigating uncertainties in order to maximize impact. The podcast provides a decision-making process and metaphor for making better career choices, and emphasizes the need to take action over analysis. They discuss the misconception of community work for impact and the challenges of finding the right balance when pursuing high-impact careers.
Optimizing for immediate impact can overlook long-term growth and skill-building.
Taking risks and exploring different options is essential for personal and professional development.
Considering the long-term trajectory of a career is more important than immediate outcomes.
Seeking mentorship and exploring various opportunities enhance personal and professional growth.
Constantly switching jobs hinders skill development and prevents excellence in a specific role.
Deep dives
Optimizing for immediate impact can be a mistake
Sometimes people feel the need to optimize for having the most impact right now, but this can be a mistake. It is important to consider the long-term impact and focus on building skills, learning, and personal growth.
Not trying hard enough to fail
Not putting in enough effort or taking risks in order to test different options can hinder personal and professional growth. It is important to push beyond comfort zones, set clear success and failure criteria, and be open to trying new things.
Feeling the pressure to make high-impact decisions immediately
There can be a tendency to feel the need to make high-impact decisions right away, but this can be misguided. It is important to consider the long-term trajectory and success of one's career, rather than focusing solely on immediate outcomes.
Learning from mentors and exploring different opportunities
Seeking mentorship and learning from experts in various fields can be invaluable in personal and professional development. Exploring different opportunities, even if they don't align perfectly with long-term goals, can provide valuable insights and skills.
Avoiding Constant Job Hopping
One mistake people make is constantly jumping from one job to another in search of the 'perfect' high-impact opportunity. This leads to a lack of skill development and prevents individuals from truly excelling in a particular role.
Overanalyzing the Best Career Path
Another common mistake is spending too much time trying to determine the absolute best career path, fearing that any choice might not be optimal. This can lead to indecision and inaction, preventing individuals from gaining valuable experience and making progress.
Falling into the Trap of Moral Perfectionism
A tendency towards moral perfectionism can cause individuals to constantly question whether their current job or path is truly making the most impact. This can lead to guilt, unhappiness, and a lack of focus, preventing individuals from fully committing to their chosen path.
Neglecting Personal Cause Prioritization
The belief that personal cause prioritization is unnecessary because experts have already done thorough analysis can be a mistake. While it is important to consider expert opinions, individuals should also engage in their own cause prioritization process to develop their own understanding and contribute unique insights to the field.
Importance of Thinking for Yourself
It is important to think through things for yourself rather than solely relying on the opinions of others. This allows you to determine which ideas and directions resonate with you and are worth pursuing. By acknowledging internal tensions and taking the time to reflect, you can make informed decisions that align with your own beliefs and intuitions, rather than blindly following someone else's answers.
Value of Mentorship and Conventional Wisdom
Many people underestimate the value of good mentorship and ignore conventional wisdom when making career decisions. Getting good mentorship accelerates learning and development, providing guidance and support. It is essential to seek mentors who can help you acquire valuable skills and offer insights beyond your specific career focus. Additionally, following conventional wisdom can lead to opportunities for growth, as established organizations often have well-structured programs that allow for rapid skill development. Balancing immediate impact with long-term learning opportunities is necessary for making effective career choices.
In this episode of 80k After Hours, Luisa Rodriguez and Alex Lawsen discuss common mistakes people make when trying to do good with their careers, and advice on how to avoid them.
Feeling like you need to optimise for having the most impact *now*
Feeling like you need to work directly on AI immediately
Not taking a role because you think you’ll be replaceable
Constantly considering other career options
Overthinking or over-optimising career choices
Being unwilling to think things through for yourself
Ignoring conventional career wisdom
Doing community work even if you’re not suited to it
Who this episode is for:
People who want to pursue a high-impact career
People wondering how much AI progress should change their plans
People who take 80,000 Hours’ career advice seriously
Who this episode isn’t for:
People not taking 80k's career advice seriously enough
People who've never made any career mistakes
People who don't want to hear Alex say "I said a bunch of stuff, maybe some of it's true" every time he's on the podcast
Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type 80k After Hours into your podcasting app.
Producer and editor: Keiran Harris Audio Engineering Lead: Ben Cordell Technical editing: Milo McGuire and Dominic Armstrong Additional content editing: Luisa Rodriguez and Katy Moore Transcriptions: Katy Moore
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