[Article] “Should you wait to make a difference?” by Benjamin Todd

If you're committed to making a difference with your career, you may well find that there is a tension between doing good now and laying the groundwork for doing good later. For example: Next year, you have two choices. You could work for an effective charity, making an immediate difference to its beneficiaries. Or you could go to graduate school and build up your career capital, (hopefully) allowing you to have a larger impact later.

Narrated by AI.

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Outline:

(00:59) Summary of our findings

(01:08) Summary: should you donate money now or later?

(02:24) Summary: Should you give your time now or later?

(03:16) The main factors in more depth

(03:20) Diminishing opportunities for good

(03:43) Increased understanding of interventions

(04:04) Returns on investment

(04:59) Certainty about the effectiveness of causes

(05:47) The attention causes have received

(06:51) Other considerations

(07:02) Not burning out

(07:40) Tax considerations

(08:00) The full research

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First published:
October 26th, 2014

Last updated:
April 28th, 2017

Source:
https://80000hours.org/articles/should-you-wait

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.