“Part 2: Can one person make a difference? What the evidence says.” by Benjamin Todd

It’s easy to feel like one person can’t make a difference. The world has so many big problems, and they often seem impossible to solve.

So when we started 80,000 Hours — with the aim of helping people do good with their careers — one of the first questions we asked was, “How much difference can one person really make?”

We learned that while many common ways to do good (such as becoming a doctor) have less impact than you might first think, others have allowed certain people to achieve an extraordinary impact.

In other words, one person can make a difference — but you might have to do something a little unconventional.

In this article, we start by estimating how much good you could do by becoming a doctor. Then, we share some stories of the highest-impact people in history, and consider what they mean for your career.

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Outline:

(01:06) How much impact do doctors have?

(05:02) Who were the highest-impact people in history?

(09:02) What do these differences in impact mean for your career?

(11:08) What does it mean to “make a difference”?

(12:24) Why did we choose this definition?

(14:16) How can you measure social impact?

(15:11) Is social impact all that matters?

(15:48) So how can you improve lives with your career?

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First published:
March 31st, 2016

Source:
https://80000hours.org/career-guide/can-one-person-make-a-difference