I think this is an important point, and one I worry about a lot. But I worry that a naive switch in emphasis does more harm than good.
Your post focuses on people who could do well on a more independent path, if only they’d consider it. But there are a lot of people for whom that’s not true- they lack the temperament, or the skills, or the knowledge. Some people’s suitability will change with time, but I think a majority won’t, and that’s fine. Or at least, recognizing it as fine leads to better outcomes.
A complementary solution is to develop more work that can absorb people who aren’t currently ready to leave highlighted paths. I think Charity Entrepreneurship does great work by creating an intermediate path and helping people transition. I know less about the implementation of the push for ops, but it seems conceptually good way to turn capable generalists into esoteric epistemic work. As a for-profit company Wave[1] can absorb lots of positions.
I think you’re right that of people who can create their own, most will do more good by doing so. But that’s a really high bar I don’t want people to rush for prematurely.
I think this is an important point, and one I worry about a lot. But I worry that a naive switch in emphasis does more harm than good.
Your post focuses on people who could do well on a more independent path, if only they’d consider it. But there are a lot of people for whom that’s not true- they lack the temperament, or the skills, or the knowledge. Some people’s suitability will change with time, but I think a majority won’t, and that’s fine. Or at least, recognizing it as fine leads to better outcomes.
A complementary solution is to develop more work that can absorb people who aren’t currently ready to leave highlighted paths. I think Charity Entrepreneurship does great work by creating an intermediate path and helping people transition. I know less about the implementation of the push for ops, but it seems conceptually good way to turn capable generalists into esoteric epistemic work. As a for-profit company Wave[1] can absorb lots of positions.
I think you’re right that of people who can create their own, most will do more good by doing so. But that’s a really high bar I don’t want people to rush for prematurely.
Full disclosure: I worked there 6 years ago.