Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: I'm a Harvard freshman, and I'm trying to gently nudge my peers toward EA., published by chanden on March 27, 2024 on The Effective Altruism Forum.
Recently I got published an op-ed in The Crimson advocating, sort of, for an Earning to Give strategy.
The Crimson is widely read among Harvard students, and its content runs through many circles - not just those who care about student journalism.
I thought the piece was important to write.
I've noticed a recurring trend in conversations about careers here at Harvard: people want to do good, but have no idea how. So either - they give up and "sell out" to a comfy lifestyle, or they follow their passions/work at an NGO/etc. without even considering Earning to Give as a legitimate option.
I'm aware that orgs like 80,000 Hours have moved away from their (original) primary focus on Earning to Give as a career strategy.
But I think, based on folks I've talked to at Harvard, it's still one of the most compelling ways to at least get people on board - it doesn't require sacrifice of a well-paid lifestyle, but more importantly, it doesn't require sacrifice of a prestigious career (which is what so many here care about).
80,000 hours also has a set of bulletpoints intended to determine whether you'd be a good fit: https://80000hours.org/articles/earning-to-give/
They ask four questions:
Do you have high earning potential? (Yes. As I note in the article, Harvard students are lucky enough to be recruited by some of the highest-paying firms in the world.)
Do you want to gain skills and career capital in a higher-earning option? (Yes as well. Harvard kids want to preserve optionality.)
Are you uncertain about which problems are most pressing? (Resounding yes. I commonly hear things like "I want to do good for the world, I just don't know how.")
Do you want to contribute to an area that is funding-constrained? (This is fuzzier, I think, seeing as the answer to this question would probably have to come after the last one.)
Anyway, I would appreciate if you gave my article a read. Feedback appreciated!
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/3/26/climaco-harvard-sell-out/
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