For this exercise, you’ll begin to think about what these ideas might mean for your life. We don’t expect you to come up with a full plan now: you should probably continue to explore the ideas and think through various options. But we think that it can be useful to come up with some initial guesses at this stage, to structure your thinking.
Have a go at writing answers to the following questions:
Based on the readings in previous chapters, which global problems do you think are most pressing and why? (Remember, experts are quite uncertain about this question!)
What are your 3-5 biggest uncertainties about the above?
What could you do over the next few weeks to explore those uncertainties? (For example, do more reading, talk things through with a friend, or write an EA Forum post on your key uncertainties to get feedback.)
What aptitudes are you most interested in exploring or using next? You might want to think about what you’re unusually good at, what activities make you feel energized, and what skills seem especially useful for addressing the problems you listed above.
How could you begin to test out those aptitudes over the next few weeks?
While you’re figuring out your uncertainties, are there any actions to improve the world that you want to do now? (E.g. make a donation, or do things that make it more likely that you remember to apply these ideas in your life (like signing up to newsletters, committing to discuss your career with a friend, or making a task to apply for high-impact jobs/internships)).