High-paying professions that enable large donations

What would have happened if Bill Gates had become a doctor instead? Usually, we don’t think of software development as a way to do good, but Gates, through philanthropy, has saved the lives of millions of children by paying for vaccines.

This method involves taking a high-paying job and donating large sums to enable other efforts that do great good, such as important research or effective non-profit organizations. If you can fund the work of five (potentially more suitable) people, it may be a better option than doing the work yourself. As I said, the most important thing in the world is not that you work directly on a problem, but that as much as possible gets done.

There are things to think through before choosing this path. For example, you shouldn’t take a high-paying profession that does a lot of damage even if it means you can give away a lot of money. In general, we also believe that most people can make a bigger difference through the other professional categories. This strategy is especially promising if the other approaches don’t suit you, but you’re especially well-suited for very high-paying positions.

The idea of ​​earning a lot of money to make big donations was introduced in 2011 and since then hundreds of people have acted on it. Most give away around 30% of their income and some more than 50%. Together, they will donate tens of millions of dollars to effective charities and other projects that are expected to make a big difference. As we went through earlier, people with average salaries in rich countries can save several lives by donating 10% of their income. If it is an option you can think of, you have the opportunity to make a significant contribution through a variety of works.