[Career review] “Software engineering” by Benjamin Hilton

Software engineers can contribute directly to solving some of the world’s most pressing problems. There is a shortage of software engineers at the cutting edge of research into AI safety.

Narrated by AI.

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Outline:

(01:34) In a nutshell:

(02:02) Pros

(02:21) Cons

(02:50) Key facts on fit

(03:06) Sometimes recommended -- personal fit dependent

(03:18) Review status

(03:47) Why might software engineering be high impact?

(04:29) How to do good as a software engineer

(07:44) Software engineers can help with AI safety

(09:57) Software engineer salaries mean you can earn to give

(12:07) What does a software engineering career involve?

(13:26) Working for a large software company

(15:12) Key career stages at large tech companies

(17:55) Working for a startup as a software engineer

(19:49) Moving to a direct impact software engineering role

(19:55) Working in AI safety

(22:05) Working on reducing global catastrophic biological risks

(23:33) Other important direct work

(24:44) Reasons not to go into software engineering

(25:36) How much do software engineers earn?

(26:50) Software engineering salaries in the US

(30:11) Software engineering pay in other countries

(32:35) Software engineering job outlook

(33:44) Software engineering job satisfaction

(34:52) Examples of people pursuing this path

(34:57) Nova DasSarma

(35:49) Roman Duda

(36:38) How to predict your fit in advance

(37:56) How to enter this field

(38:30) Learning to program

(40:50) Getting your first job in software engineering

(43:38) Want one-on-one advice on pursuing this path?

(43:59) Learn more

(44:02) Top recommendations

(44:19) Further recommendations

(44:25) Articles from 80,000 Hours

(45:00) Other reading

(45:51) Find a job in this path

(46:02) Learn about other high-impact careers

The original text contained 9 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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First published:
February 4th, 2022

Source:
https://80000hours.org/career-reviews/software-engineering

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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