Experimenting to see what kind of feedback this gets and whether it’s useful to share very early stage thoughts publicly. If anyone is interested or already exploring this topic, feel free to reach out, I have written up a (slightly more indepth) proposal I can share.
Problem: There might be many people in EA that could benefit from career coaching.
Size: I estimate ~300 to 1000 (60% CI) people might be underconfident or less ambitious than they might be. 80K frequently mentions underconfidence.
These are people with basic intro knowledge but are unable to make career progress due to miscalibration, lack of knowledge, negative feelings associated with networking /​ applying etc.
Tractability: Career coaches are very common & help people become confident and land dream jobs /​ improve their current career situation.
Neglectedness: Seems unlikely to me that existing coaches cover this need. I am also fairly confident that existing groups /​ CBs do not cover this need.
Proposal: An EA career coach who’s:
Improving client’s calibration on good fit positions (both EA & non-EA)
Giving practical advice & guidance (e.g. resumes, interviews, long-term career planning)
Providing encouragement & boost self-confidence
Helping clients maintain a healthy relationship to the job hunt /​ reduce stress, e.g. provide unique insights into EA job landscape
Key uncertainties: (* = most uncertain)
Is there demand for this idea and how big?*
Is that demand already being met?
Is someone working on this going to significantly improve the chances that an individual makes positive progress in their career path? *
Are there people or groups able and /​ or willing to provide this service?*
(subquestion if people are willing but not able: Are the skills easily trainable?)
Would people reach out for such a service (and be willing to pay) on their own?*
Next steps: (5-20 hrs)
Talk to people (have emailed some EA coaches)
Run experiments to gauge demand e.g. interest form for online career events (e.g. resume writing workshop) or starting a peer-to-peer career support group
PROPOSAL: EA Career Coaches—quick evaluation
Experimenting to see what kind of feedback this gets and whether it’s useful to share very early stage thoughts publicly. If anyone is interested or already exploring this topic, feel free to reach out, I have written up a (slightly more indepth) proposal I can share.
Problem: There might be many people in EA that could benefit from career coaching.
Size: I estimate ~300 to 1000 (60% CI) people might be underconfident or less ambitious than they might be. 80K frequently mentions underconfidence. These are people with basic intro knowledge but are unable to make career progress due to miscalibration, lack of knowledge, negative feelings associated with networking /​ applying etc.
Tractability: Career coaches are very common & help people become confident and land dream jobs /​ improve their current career situation.
Neglectedness: Seems unlikely to me that existing coaches cover this need. I am also fairly confident that existing groups /​ CBs do not cover this need.
Proposal: An EA career coach who’s: Improving client’s calibration on good fit positions (both EA & non-EA) Giving practical advice & guidance (e.g. resumes, interviews, long-term career planning) Providing encouragement & boost self-confidence Helping clients maintain a healthy relationship to the job hunt /​ reduce stress, e.g. provide unique insights into EA job landscape
Key uncertainties: (* = most uncertain) Is there demand for this idea and how big?* Is that demand already being met? Is someone working on this going to significantly improve the chances that an individual makes positive progress in their career path? * Are there people or groups able and /​ or willing to provide this service?* (subquestion if people are willing but not able: Are the skills easily trainable?) Would people reach out for such a service (and be willing to pay) on their own?*
Next steps: (5-20 hrs) Talk to people (have emailed some EA coaches) Run experiments to gauge demand e.g. interest form for online career events (e.g. resume writing workshop) or starting a peer-to-peer career support group