I found this post inspiring while reading it, but after reaching the end I realized that I have very little idea of what it’s actually telling me to do. I’m writing this comment far too late in the hope that someone might tell me what I’m missing.
So—how do I avoid being bycatch? Here’s my reconstruction of the argument and my evaluation of each points
1. Build up career capital slowly, over the long-term—ok, but AI timelines are short, and the future is unpredictable. A lot of EAs originally did exactly this by going into careers like medicine only to later find that it doesn’t help them, given their updated beliefs. Arguably, being able to pivot is better. ❌
2. Start with small & concrete actions that provide evidence of your altruistic efforts. Ok, but isn’t that exactly the kind of bycatch activities this post is warning against? ❌
3. Ask questions to figure out what needs to be done. Ok this point I think is generally good advice, and could help ensure that one’s skills end up being useful. ✅
4. Take your time to figure things out. This point counters (1). Taking time to figure things out likely means delaying any commitment to a long-term plan, or switching track several times. I’ve done this myself, but I think this is what leaves people as bycatch. ❌
5. Engage in the community. This again is good advice, but I’m not sure how it prevents someone becoming bycatch. ❔
6. Not everything needs to be branded as EA. Ok, I suppose if I have some skills or career capital, this helps me from ensuring that they are recognized as useful instead ‘churn’. ✅
7. I understand as be brave and try things. Again, this seems to be exactly what was warned against—the EA who writes blog posts, applies for grants etc but nothing happens. Trying things has a high cost and can leave people very demotivated in a competitive ecosystem. ❌
8. Follow EA principles. This seems more like asking the bycatch not to give up hope, rather than real advice. ❌
9. The wording of this one was strange: not being bycatch is obviously a way to not be bycatch. But I suppose what is meant is: try to be valuable very generally, rather than just being a committed EA employee. This is useful, but the real question is how, and as I’ve indicated I feel fairly unconvinced by most of the answers in the rest of the post.
I found this post inspiring while reading it, but after reaching the end I realized that I have very little idea of what it’s actually telling me to do. I’m writing this comment far too late in the hope that someone might tell me what I’m missing.
So—how do I avoid being bycatch? Here’s my reconstruction of the argument and my evaluation of each points
1. Build up career capital slowly, over the long-term—ok, but AI timelines are short, and the future is unpredictable. A lot of EAs originally did exactly this by going into careers like medicine only to later find that it doesn’t help them, given their updated beliefs. Arguably, being able to pivot is better. ❌
2. Start with small & concrete actions that provide evidence of your altruistic efforts. Ok, but isn’t that exactly the kind of bycatch activities this post is warning against? ❌
3. Ask questions to figure out what needs to be done. Ok this point I think is generally good advice, and could help ensure that one’s skills end up being useful. ✅
4. Take your time to figure things out. This point counters (1). Taking time to figure things out likely means delaying any commitment to a long-term plan, or switching track several times. I’ve done this myself, but I think this is what leaves people as bycatch. ❌
5. Engage in the community. This again is good advice, but I’m not sure how it prevents someone becoming bycatch. ❔
6. Not everything needs to be branded as EA. Ok, I suppose if I have some skills or career capital, this helps me from ensuring that they are recognized as useful instead ‘churn’. ✅
7. I understand as be brave and try things. Again, this seems to be exactly what was warned against—the EA who writes blog posts, applies for grants etc but nothing happens. Trying things has a high cost and can leave people very demotivated in a competitive ecosystem. ❌
8. Follow EA principles. This seems more like asking the bycatch not to give up hope, rather than real advice. ❌
9. The wording of this one was strange: not being bycatch is obviously a way to not be bycatch. But I suppose what is meant is: try to be valuable very generally, rather than just being a committed EA employee. This is useful, but the real question is how, and as I’ve indicated I feel fairly unconvinced by most of the answers in the rest of the post.