Hi Robi, thanks for asking. Assuming you mean referring someone to our 1:1 advising, the best thing to do is just send them the link and ask that they mention your name in the application (there's a "From which friend, organization, or other source did you hear about us?" question). I'll keep an eye out for your name in the applications. And we're always happy to get more high-quality referrals, so thanks!
Thanks for bringing this up, Camille! Noting that we at Probably Good would be happy to speak to you or others like you transitioning from USAID on where you might best use your talent and experience
Effective Thesis is set up to try to help people answer exactly that question
This article from Horizon Institute has good ideas on how to test your fit for policy roles, which I think is a big factor in whether something like the World Bank would be an impactful route for you (the article's mainly about US government institutions, but a lot still applies)
Hi Heather - thanks for messaging, and for all you're doing.
Firstly, I'm really pro earning to give, and if that's the path that best balances you having impact, using your skills, and having a lifestyle that isn't burnout-inducing, that might be the best thing. Sounds to me like you're crushing it! One fairly obvious way of having more impact would just be to share what you're doing with other vets, and try to gently nudge them to consider some of the same things.
To actually tackle the question, it's hard to put a fixed number on it, and I suspect you'd get different answers from different organisations as to whether they'd value your skills or your money higher (and the answers would likely change over time).[1]That said, if you were to found an effective organisation tackling factory farming, I'd bet that would be more valuable than your donations, perhaps significantly so. It would be more full-on and likely more stressful, but I'd consider applying for the Charity Entrepreneurship incubation programme in future if you're more interested in founding something than being an employee (and assuming you could make time for the 2-month programme).
A less drastic move might be to explore serving on boards of some organisations in this space. I spotted a couple of opportunities from a quick scan here, and without knowing the ins and outs of the requirements, I'd bet there are a bunch of organisations that would benefit from your experience and expertise. The Hive community is also a great place for you to learn more about what's going on in the space, connect with other likeminded people, and perhaps offer mentorship to those earlier in their careers.
I'd be happy to chat about this more if you'd find it valuable (our 1:1 advising page is here), and selfishly I'd also love to learn more about your journey. Thanks again!
You could try asking e.g. some of the organisations on the AAC jobs board, but I'm not sure you'd get answers, or how confident and accurate they'd be.
Hi bgotyal, thanks for engaging! I don't know how which EA orgs that do research you've already come across, so listing a few here in case there are any you weren't aware of:
1. Rethink Priorities - gets commissioned to answer questions like some of those on the list you linked
2. Open Philanthropy - does research for its own cause prioritization and funding decisions. Has an internship each year (the next one will be 2026, this was the last one) for people interested in doing this kind of research
Research communication, or public intellectual type work
On location and impact
I would expect being in a research hub like Oxford would be valuable, everything else equal, but I suspect what is most needed is mentorship for early career researchers. Generally speaking, I would suggest getting as much feedback on your research as possible, ideally from someone who is already established in the field you want to be in, but you could try sharing things on this forum if not.
Testing your fit
I'd also recommend testing your fit for research before embarking on a PhD, due to the heavy time and financial commitment, and the competitiveness of academic careers. It sounds like you're pretty set on the academic path, but it's worth spending time really testing that before investing too heavily.
Hi Patrick, thanks for your questions. Not sure from the above whether you're considering moving before finishing your degree or not, but unless you've already been offered a paid role, I'd suggest finishing college is worthwhile. I know it's easier to move colleges in the US than it is in the UK, but don't know the ins and outs of that process, and I wouldn't have thought being at a college with more EAs is an overriding consideration here.
I would suggest that if you're open to moving at some point, straight after college is a good time to do so. You're early enough in your career that building a new network in somewhere like DC or silicon valley is likely worthwhile (and relatively easy), even at the cost of losing your existing network.
On the EA group questions, I suspect CEA community builders are better placed to answer, but happy to share my own thoughts for what they're worth. Philosophy, maths, computer science, economics, and (I think) engineering have been overrepresented in EA, so could be good places to start for attracting new members. I wouldn't worry too much about people bouncing off if they truly just want resume points (and maybe you are then attracting the wrong people), but it probably doesn't hurt to share content like the how to get a job articles from PG and 80k and hoping they find some of the other content engaging too.
I do think EA-inspired careers are a good fit for engineers (and if you haven't already, you could check out High Impact Engineers), even if you don't go into specific engineering roles. Roles in operations, nonprofit entrepreneurship, some parts of AI safety, alt proteins, or international development can all be a fit for engineers, and without being too reductive I think there's a decent amount of overlap with the engineering mindset and some EA-style first-principles thinking.
A great option if you're thinking of starting your own non-profit is the Charity Entrepreneurship incubation programme, which will open to applications on 3 August. If you're not yet set on a particular idea, they can help you work through that, along with pairing you with a co-founder, and providing various kinds of support. Having a look through their charities will give you a sense of the kinds of ideas people have pursued; not all are in LMICs, and many of the founders didn't have experience in international development before starting.
Finding the ideal volunteer opportunity can be tricky, but my guess is that even if the work isn't exactly what you want to be doing in the long term, you'll likely learn useful things about what makes an organisation successful, what things you like and dislike about organisational culture, and some basic tools and techniques you can take into future work. That said, you might actually be better trying to start a small, low-cost project yourself in the areas you mention above, or even a for-profit enterprise to help you build and demonstrate your skills so that you could start your own non-profit later.
In terms of finding small EA orgs, you can check out the orgs on the Probably Good jobs board. We don't (yet) have a way to rank them by size, but clicking through and learning a bit about each organisation is probably useful in building your knowledge anyway.
With the obvious caveat that some of this will depend on the specifics of your workplace and career plan (which we'd be happy to chat through in an advising call), hopefully the following general pointers are useful.
On the 'how to move into higher impact roles', we have a bunch of resources in our article on how to get a job. The fact of you being in a job already doesn't change this too much, but probably allows you to be more patient and deliberate in your search, and might give you more leverage in negotiating on things like salary.
If you're not actually sure on whether you should quit your job yet - and I'd generally advise anyone to take that decision seriously - then this article from 80k has some great advice. But assuming you know you're going to leave, I'd expect it's better to stay in your role until you've found your next thing, for the financial security and other reasons above. If you're able to be open with your manager about the things you're not getting in your current role, there's a chance they'll be able to shape things to better suit you, even if that's only a short term improvement till you move on. There might also be opportunities within your current organisation to learn new skills, make new connections, or pick up qualifications that could be useful in future. Finally, the old advice of not burning bridges is worth bearing in mind. Even if you think you'll never want to work at that organisation or with that person again, references can be really important.
There are times when it just makes sense to move on, even if you don't know what you're doing next. It can give more time for contemplation, learning, or just recharging your batteries. But that's something probably worth discussing specifically in an advising call :)
Hi Robi, thanks for asking. Assuming you mean referring someone to our 1:1 advising, the best thing to do is just send them the link and ask that they mention your name in the application (there's a "From which friend, organization, or other source did you hear about us?" question). I'll keep an eye out for your name in the applications. And we're always happy to get more high-quality referrals, so thanks!
Just to echo others and thank you very much for writing this. I'm really sorry you had to. You deserved better.
And on a more minor point, what you wrote about your future wife is achingly beautiful.
Thanks for bringing this up, Camille! Noting that we at Probably Good would be happy to speak to you or others like you transitioning from USAID on where you might best use your talent and experience
Just to echo what Nick said: I loved the openness of this post, thanks for writing it!
Hi Cécile, thanks for the question!
A couple of quick plugs:
Hi Heather - thanks for messaging, and for all you're doing.
Firstly, I'm really pro earning to give, and if that's the path that best balances you having impact, using your skills, and having a lifestyle that isn't burnout-inducing, that might be the best thing. Sounds to me like you're crushing it! One fairly obvious way of having more impact would just be to share what you're doing with other vets, and try to gently nudge them to consider some of the same things.
To actually tackle the question, it's hard to put a fixed number on it, and I suspect you'd get different answers from different organisations as to whether they'd value your skills or your money higher (and the answers would likely change over time).[1]That said, if you were to found an effective organisation tackling factory farming, I'd bet that would be more valuable than your donations, perhaps significantly so. It would be more full-on and likely more stressful, but I'd consider applying for the Charity Entrepreneurship incubation programme in future if you're more interested in founding something than being an employee (and assuming you could make time for the 2-month programme).
A less drastic move might be to explore serving on boards of some organisations in this space. I spotted a couple of opportunities from a quick scan here, and without knowing the ins and outs of the requirements, I'd bet there are a bunch of organisations that would benefit from your experience and expertise. The Hive community is also a great place for you to learn more about what's going on in the space, connect with other likeminded people, and perhaps offer mentorship to those earlier in their careers.
I'd be happy to chat about this more if you'd find it valuable (our 1:1 advising page is here), and selfishly I'd also love to learn more about your journey. Thanks again!
You could try asking e.g. some of the organisations on the AAC jobs board, but I'm not sure you'd get answers, or how confident and accurate they'd be.
Hi bgotyal, thanks for engaging! I don't know how which EA orgs that do research you've already come across, so listing a few here in case there are any you weren't aware of:
1. Rethink Priorities - gets commissioned to answer questions like some of those on the list you linked
2. Open Philanthropy - does research for its own cause prioritization and funding decisions. Has an internship each year (the next one will be 2026, this was the last one) for people interested in doing this kind of research
3. Forethought - focused on impacts of AGI
4. The AIM research programme is closing, but will be replaced with a fellowship
5. Happier Lives Institute looks into some of the problems it seems you're interested in
6. Effective Thesis can help you decide on an area of research that would have impact
Research-adjacent areas you may want to consider too
On location and impact
I would expect being in a research hub like Oxford would be valuable, everything else equal, but I suspect what is most needed is mentorship for early career researchers. Generally speaking, I would suggest getting as much feedback on your research as possible, ideally from someone who is already established in the field you want to be in, but you could try sharing things on this forum if not.
Testing your fit
I'd also recommend testing your fit for research before embarking on a PhD, due to the heavy time and financial commitment, and the competitiveness of academic careers. It sounds like you're pretty set on the academic path, but it's worth spending time really testing that before investing too heavily.
Hi Patrick, thanks for your questions. Not sure from the above whether you're considering moving before finishing your degree or not, but unless you've already been offered a paid role, I'd suggest finishing college is worthwhile. I know it's easier to move colleges in the US than it is in the UK, but don't know the ins and outs of that process, and I wouldn't have thought being at a college with more EAs is an overriding consideration here.
I would suggest that if you're open to moving at some point, straight after college is a good time to do so. You're early enough in your career that building a new network in somewhere like DC or silicon valley is likely worthwhile (and relatively easy), even at the cost of losing your existing network.
On the EA group questions, I suspect CEA community builders are better placed to answer, but happy to share my own thoughts for what they're worth. Philosophy, maths, computer science, economics, and (I think) engineering have been overrepresented in EA, so could be good places to start for attracting new members. I wouldn't worry too much about people bouncing off if they truly just want resume points (and maybe you are then attracting the wrong people), but it probably doesn't hurt to share content like the how to get a job articles from PG and 80k and hoping they find some of the other content engaging too.
I do think EA-inspired careers are a good fit for engineers (and if you haven't already, you could check out High Impact Engineers), even if you don't go into specific engineering roles. Roles in operations, nonprofit entrepreneurship, some parts of AI safety, alt proteins, or international development can all be a fit for engineers, and without being too reductive I think there's a decent amount of overlap with the engineering mindset and some EA-style first-principles thinking.
Hi James! Thanks for the question.
A great option if you're thinking of starting your own non-profit is the Charity Entrepreneurship incubation programme, which will open to applications on 3 August. If you're not yet set on a particular idea, they can help you work through that, along with pairing you with a co-founder, and providing various kinds of support. Having a look through their charities will give you a sense of the kinds of ideas people have pursued; not all are in LMICs, and many of the founders didn't have experience in international development before starting.
Finding the ideal volunteer opportunity can be tricky, but my guess is that even if the work isn't exactly what you want to be doing in the long term, you'll likely learn useful things about what makes an organisation successful, what things you like and dislike about organisational culture, and some basic tools and techniques you can take into future work. That said, you might actually be better trying to start a small, low-cost project yourself in the areas you mention above, or even a for-profit enterprise to help you build and demonstrate your skills so that you could start your own non-profit later.
In terms of finding small EA orgs, you can check out the orgs on the Probably Good jobs board. We don't (yet) have a way to rank them by size, but clicking through and learning a bit about each organisation is probably useful in building your knowledge anyway.
Hi Gabrielle, thanks for the question!
With the obvious caveat that some of this will depend on the specifics of your workplace and career plan (which we'd be happy to chat through in an advising call), hopefully the following general pointers are useful.
On the 'how to move into higher impact roles', we have a bunch of resources in our article on how to get a job. The fact of you being in a job already doesn't change this too much, but probably allows you to be more patient and deliberate in your search, and might give you more leverage in negotiating on things like salary.
If you're not actually sure on whether you should quit your job yet - and I'd generally advise anyone to take that decision seriously - then this article from 80k has some great advice. But assuming you know you're going to leave, I'd expect it's better to stay in your role until you've found your next thing, for the financial security and other reasons above. If you're able to be open with your manager about the things you're not getting in your current role, there's a chance they'll be able to shape things to better suit you, even if that's only a short term improvement till you move on. There might also be opportunities within your current organisation to learn new skills, make new connections, or pick up qualifications that could be useful in future. Finally, the old advice of not burning bridges is worth bearing in mind. Even if you think you'll never want to work at that organisation or with that person again, references can be really important.
There are times when it just makes sense to move on, even if you don't know what you're doing next. It can give more time for contemplation, learning, or just recharging your batteries. But that's something probably worth discussing specifically in an advising call :)
Thanks again, and all the best with your move!