Hey Denis, thanks for reading! I can relate to leaving the venue, even if it means paying for food. I could have had a free dinner at the conference this time, but I still went home, as that meant I'd have had to spend an extra 2 hours at the venue while I was already tired. 

Your point about talking to 5 people who you will actually collaborate with: very true! In the end, it's not really about how many meetings you had or how many people you spoke to, but what you got out of the conference that you couldn't have gotten elsewhere.

And yes, I think all this requires you knowing that you are an introvert and being attentive enough to your energy levels to actually implement all the tips that work for you. 

I love this book, I actually realised I was an introvert after reading it!

Nice, glad you found it useful and enjoy your first EAG!

Thanks for the comment Sergio! Getting funding could be easier: it also surprised me to realise this. I think it's because there's more funding in the movement now, and we generally lack founders, so it's more likely to either get your idea funded (if it aligns with their priorities) or to pick up an idea a funder is already excited about. In my experience, getting senior jobs can be tough because the requirements are often numerous, and it's harder to fit into those roles than to create your own by founding. Plus, many roles aren't advertised, so you will only come across them if you're already well-networked and in the right place at the right time.

Thanks for writing this, Grace! I have also noticed that people underestimate how much people talk informally about others, no matter how much power those other people have. For example, if someone was hard to work with, both as an employee and an employer (even in a volunteer capacity), these things will come out eventually via informal channels, and future collaborators/employers will triangulate those thoughts when making a decision about whether to hire you or work for you. You usually won't even know it was said, because people rarely say it to your face. What's more challenging is that people are generally disincentivised to give constructive criticism like this because this may carry social cost.

The more varied the comments about you are from different people, the more confident people will be that they are true, whether good or bad, especially if they come from someone with a strong reputation. Overall, the conclusion is to always do your best work, even in a volunteer capacity; treat people well no matter how much power they have; be easy to work with; and handle challenges with care, knowing others will be interested to hear how you handled it. 

Even the smallest interactions matter. For example, I know about an occasion when a person volunteered at a conference for one charity, and they were applying for a job for another, and because of one thing they said to their conference manager, the hiring manager at another charity took this into account and didn't hire them because it wasn't acceptable in their culture. This also applies online, so I encourage people to be careful about what they write and comment publicly because hiring managers and funders usually do deep research before making decisions, and even a small comment can affect whether you advance to the next stage. The rule of thumb is to follow community guidelines at all times: treat everyone with respect, be kind and constructive, open and curious, etc. I love Cate Hall's concept mentioned in her recent book: "You are always auditioning for a bigger role". 

You touched upon a really good point, I have also spoken to/mentored a few people who have had a hard time getting jobs but had an easier time getting grants to start new charities (they also had experience, so not fresh grads). We noted at the time that it's somewhat ironic that you have to start a charity to get a job in it, because getting jobs can be so competitive in EA. I am also of the opinion that creating your own opportunity is easier from that perspective, especially if you're up for the difficulties that come with entrepreneurship, because you don't need anyone's permission, apart from getting funding for it (which can be hard in itself, but still not quite the same as getting a job with many other applicants, and with the increase in funding could be somewhat easier). 
I think this blog is aimed more at people who have both options, or who are considering both and want to see which option is best for them before they invest a lot of time in either. 

Thanks for reading closely, and welcome to the Forum! You're right that the title overreaches: three of the nine entries aren't technically incubators, and I say so in each of their sections. A better title would have used "Founding pathways", but people tend to recognise "incubator" better, so that's why I chose it.

On why they're included: the scope I set was programs whose goal (or likely outcome) is launching new organisations for animals. If you're a would-be founder, RP's funded runway or an SMA fellowship can get you there just as much as a classic cohort incubator, and I'd rather you see the full set of routes than only the ones with "incubator" in their name. Deliberately not covered: the rest of the talent system (courses, fellowships without a founding angle, job boards), which would be a different and much longer post.

One correction to your read: the bucketing you're describing was mine, not the AI's. I chose to include those three because I think excluding them would leave founding options out. 

hey Leonie, many thanks for reading and your comment! Glad it resonated. 

I'm happy to hear you've found unemployment useful to your progress! Good luck with your role search! And many thanks for the kind sabbatical wishes :) 

Love this! I think speed of deployment is a really big issue in current funding in the space, with projects often waiting for 3-12 months before a funder can make a decision (plus many only have RFPs running once or twice a year, and it can take another month of so to receive funding), and given how urgent AIxAnimals projects are, we really need faster decisions and implementation. Thanks for starting this! 

Cool work! So happy our post on Building Impactful communities was useful to you folks! Good luck with your endevours! 

Happy birthday Mitchell! Sorry about the existential dread. I promise the next 10,000 hours include cake!