The 80,000 Hours Career Guide (2023)
80,000 Hours Podcast
00:00
Your Peak Impact/Performance is Likely to Be Later in Your Career
The peak of impact for most individuals occurs in their middle age, with income peaking in the 40s, indicating it takes around 20 years to reach maximum productivity. Experts generally reach their peak abilities between ages 30 to 60, with the age increasing over time. Different fields have varying ages of peak output ranging from 30 for theoretical physics, lyric poetry, and pure mathematics to around 50 for novel writing, history, philosophy, and medicine. Expert level performance in established fields typically requires 10 to 30 years of focused practice, emphasizing the importance of intense extended practice for developing extraordinary abilities.
Transcript
Play full episode
