Alex Lawsen on avoiding 10 mistakes people make when pursuing a high impact career

Originally released September 2023. Luisa Rodriguez and 80,000 Hours career advisor Alex Lawsen discuss common mistakes people make when trying to do good with their careers, and advice on how to avoid them. Chapters: • Cold open [00:00:00] • Luisa’s intro [00:00:56] • Taking 80,000 Hours’ rankings too seriously [00:04:41] • Not trying hard enough to fail [00:16:42] • Feeling like you need to optimise for having the most impact now [00:40:39] • Feeling like you need to work directly on AI immediately [01:01:38] • Not taking a role because you think you’ll be replaceable [01:18:19] • Constantly considering other career options [01:29:24] • Overthinking or over-optimising career choices [01:39:51] • Being unwilling to think things through for yourself [01:49:31] • Ignoring conventional career wisdom [01:51:37] • Doing community work even if you’re not suited to it [02:06:46] • Common themes [02:09:02] Learn more and find the full transcript on the 80,000 Hours website: 80000hours.org/after-hours-podcast/episodes/alex-l… ---- 80k After Hours is a podcast by the team that brings you The 80,000 Hours Podcast. It features resources on how to do good with your career — and anything else we feel like releasing.