Great post Matt! I’m curious about how you feel your advice about becoming more well-known in the field applies to areas like U.S. policy work. It seems like the people most well-known and outspoken around policy in the government have 20-year careers working in government/the intelligence community to precede them and grant them expertise. This seems true for more established policy areas such as U.S.-China relations or Middle East politics. AI, as a newer technology, is the exception as it allows relatively younger but smart people to contribute their opinions and be taken seriously by Congress (e.g. asked to testify). But in most cases, policy staffers seem to be ‘seen and not heard’ for their opinions on policy, at least not directly. Do you think that’s a fair assessment? How would you recommend that young people involved in government roles make a name for themselves anyway, or would you advise against it for now?
Thanks for the question! I’ve seen young people be quite successful in policy careers, but I agree there are some caveats in this context. People who want to be staffers or work in think tanks should be thoughtful about how they represent themselves online. I also think early in a policy career it’s important to develop career capital and be trusted to do great work first, even if it means working with the existing policy agenda you’re assigned rather than your preferred topics.
That said, “being known” is still really important in policy. It just might involve being known to a smaller group of people who can vouch for you directly. DC runs on interpersonal relationships built on trust, potentially including people in think tanks, on the hill, etc. Publishing in policy outlets can be a one way to build up to this, as can having good conversations at events, doing outreach to learn from experts on a topic you’re researching on, etc.
Great post Matt! I’m curious about how you feel your advice about becoming more well-known in the field applies to areas like U.S. policy work. It seems like the people most well-known and outspoken around policy in the government have 20-year careers working in government/the intelligence community to precede them and grant them expertise. This seems true for more established policy areas such as U.S.-China relations or Middle East politics. AI, as a newer technology, is the exception as it allows relatively younger but smart people to contribute their opinions and be taken seriously by Congress (e.g. asked to testify). But in most cases, policy staffers seem to be ‘seen and not heard’ for their opinions on policy, at least not directly. Do you think that’s a fair assessment? How would you recommend that young people involved in government roles make a name for themselves anyway, or would you advise against it for now?
Thanks for the question! I’ve seen young people be quite successful in policy careers, but I agree there are some caveats in this context. People who want to be staffers or work in think tanks should be thoughtful about how they represent themselves online. I also think early in a policy career it’s important to develop career capital and be trusted to do great work first, even if it means working with the existing policy agenda you’re assigned rather than your preferred topics.
That said, “being known” is still really important in policy. It just might involve being known to a smaller group of people who can vouch for you directly. DC runs on interpersonal relationships built on trust, potentially including people in think tanks, on the hill, etc. Publishing in policy outlets can be a one way to build up to this, as can having good conversations at events, doing outreach to learn from experts on a topic you’re researching on, etc.
https://80000hours.org/articles/the-us-ai-policy-landscape-where-to-have-the-biggest-impact/
https://80000hours.org/2025/11/our-top-tips-for-successful-networking/