80,000 Hours

80,000 Hours

80,000 Hours is a non-profit organization that conducts research on how individuals can best use their careers to make a positive impact on the world. The organization is named after the typical number of hours a person spends working in their lifetime. It provides career advice based on the principles of effective altruism, aiming to help people find careers that are both personally fulfilling and socially beneficial.

History

80,000 Hours was founded in 2011 by William MacAskill, Benjamin Todd, and Robert Wiblin, who were students at the University of Oxford. The organization began as a project of the Oxford University-based Centre for Effective Altruism.

Mission

The mission of 80,000 Hours is to help people have a positive impact with their careers. They focus on providing research and advice on which careers have the potential to do the most good, considering factors such as the scale of the problem, the tractability of the problem, and the neglectedness of the problem.

Research and Advice

80,000 Hours offers a range of resources, including a comprehensive online career guide, a podcast, and one-on-one career coaching. Their research covers a variety of topics, including:

• High-impact career paths
• The importance of career capital
• The role of personal fit in career choice
• Strategies for career planning and decision-making

Key Concepts

• Career Capital: The skills, connections, credentials, and financial resources that can be used to have a greater impact in the future.
• Personal Fit: The degree to which an individual is likely to excel in a particular career path, based on their skills, interests, and personality.
• High-Impact Careers: Careers that have the potential to significantly improve the world, often by addressing pressing global issues such as global health, climate change, and artificial intelligence safety.

Criticism

Some critics argue that the advice provided by 80,000 Hours may not be applicable to everyone, as it often emphasizes careers in specific fields such as research, policy, and entrepreneurship. Others have raised concerns about the focus on quantifiable impact, which may overlook important qualitative aspects of career satisfaction and personal values.

Also see

• Effective Altruism
• William MacAskill
• Centre for Effective Altruism
• Global Priorities Institute
• GiveWell