Benjamin Todd

Have a longer-term vision

Although the future is very uncertain, we think, for most people, it's helpful to have at least a vague idea of where you'd like to end up longer term.

This is your vision.

Your vision should be broad enough that it won't constantly change, but narrow enough to provide some direction.

Your vision should include 1.

A list of 2-5 global problems you'd most like to work on longer term, as covered in Chapter 5.

And 2.

A list of 1-5 roles or types of work you'd like to aim towards, as covered in Chapter 6.

Types of work you could aim for include the categories of high-impact careers we looked at earlier, like being an entrepreneur, writer, or organization builder.

Longer term could mean anything from 5 to 25 years, just pick a time frame that makes sense to you.

If you've done the exercises in previous chapters, you should have a short list already.

Here's an example.

Megan was studying in Beijing when someone suggested she take a look at 80,000 Hours.

After reading our guide, she decided that she wanted to work on reducing existential risks, and in particular the risks from AI and nuclear war.

She had spent some time doing research in academia, but she felt that academic work in her field, international relations, was unlikely to provide her with a high-impact career path.

So her best guess was to aim for a career path in government and policy.

Her vision, if all went well, was that she could become an expert in multilateral relations, and then advise key players on multilateral agreements around AI.

Your vision may feel much more uncertain than this, though, and that's fine.

You only need a rough idea to help spot opportunities and guide your exploration.

As we've covered, finding the best career for you is a step-by-step process, so you'll update your vision every couple of years, adding or removing options from your list and making the items more specific.