Effective Altruism

What makes a career high-impact?

A high-impact career involves using your job or income to help solve important problems where more people, funding, or research could make a significant difference. When thinking about where to focus your career, these three factors can help you find where you can do the most good:

Importance

I

How big and how severe is the problem? How much does the problem affect people, animals, and future generations?

Neglectedness

N

How many people are already working on the problem? Contributing to an overlooked problem often has more impact than working on an issue that already receives a lot of support.

Tractability

T

How likely is it that we can solve the problem? Is there a realistic path to progress through research, funding, advocacy, or other interventions?

Already know what you're looking for?

Search our opportunities board for full- and part-time roles, fellowships, internships, volunteer opportunities, training programs, and events that could help you do more good with your career.

High-impact career paths

You may not need to start from scratch to move into high-impact work. Many organizations working on important problems need professional skills, from software, policy, and research to operations, communications, fundraising, and product

Whatever your background, there are many ways to use your career to improve the world.

Direct

Direct work

Join an organization where you can use your current skillset to work directly on solving important problems.

Earn to give

Pursue a job that allows you to earn a high income so that you can donate to the most effective charities.

Research

Investigate some of the world’s most pressing problems to help identify better solutions.

Organization building

Start or help build an initiative to solve a neglected problem. High-impact organizations need founders, as well as people who can manage finances, hiring, marketing, and day-to-day operations.

Policy and advocacy

Connect evidence-based recommendations to decision-makers, and help shape policy that benefits the world both now and in the future.

Communications and fundraising

Help people understand complex problems and act to solve them. Support promising solutions through writing, campaigns, partnerships, and/or fundraising.

Indirect

Thinking about moving into a higher-impact career?

The Career Bootcamp can help you explore options and identify practical next steps.

Make your high-impact career pivot

The bootcamp course helps you identify high-impact careers that match your skills, then build momentum with exercises, advisor feedback, and peer accountability.

Who is it for?

Accomplished professionals

Typically 5+ years’ experience

Starts

Oct 12

Or weekends from 17 Oct

Time

4 days

20-30 hrs total

Learn more

Join waitlist