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Once you’ve chosen a problem, the next step is to figure out how you can best contribute to solving it. As we have previously shown, the effect of different interventions can differ greatly. Therefore, it is important to consider what type of work would bring about the greatest progress in your chosen field. What bottlenecks prevent development today and what are effective ways to get around them? Sometimes policy change may be needed, in other cases funding or research.
80,000 Hours has identified four categories of professions that seem promising.
- Research that is relevant to making progress on the problem
- To work directly on the problem, for example in effective non-profit organizations or as an entrepreneur
- High-paying professions that give you the opportunity to give away a large part of your income
- Influence work , for example through policy work, in think tanks or as a journalist
These categories are umbrella terms that hold many different roles. They are not exhaustive. Rather, see them as inspiration as you consider what type of job would effectively address the problem you choose to focus on. Now we will go through them one by one.