I’d like to second the opinion that it is a bit of a turn off that the resources go toward people who already have resources. I understand that “justice” and “equality of opportunity” aren’t core EA concerns, and I also realize that giving an hour of time to a person at an elite university who has received lots of educational benefits in life very well may have a higher ROI than giving an hour of time to a “normal” person (I’m using normal here to indicate a person who grew up in a family with a more median income, and who went to a less outlier school).
Unfortunately, I don’t have a solution for this. The current practice is very much in line with the career advice on 80,000 Hours, which seems to be primarily applicable to people who are able to get jobs at McKinsey, get into PhD Programs about Artificial Intelligence, and able to earn well-above a median income. Elitism isn’t inherently a bad thing; it can sometimes simply be a way of having high standards.
For context, I’m writing this as a person who grew up in a lower-middle class family, who didn’t live in a big city with lots of opportunities, who went to a university that is not famous, and who has never earned more than the average income. I’m privileged in lots of ways in my life, but because the paths that are highlighted on your website aren’t realistic options (unless I were to spend large amounts of money on re-schooling), it sends a message of “if you aren’t in this particular privileged class of people who have received lots of education at elite institutions, then you probably aren’t the right fit for our club.”
I’d like to second the opinion that it is a bit of a turn off that the resources go toward people who already have resources. I understand that “justice” and “equality of opportunity” aren’t core EA concerns, and I also realize that giving an hour of time to a person at an elite university who has received lots of educational benefits in life very well may have a higher ROI than giving an hour of time to a “normal” person (I’m using normal here to indicate a person who grew up in a family with a more median income, and who went to a less outlier school).
Unfortunately, I don’t have a solution for this. The current practice is very much in line with the career advice on 80,000 Hours, which seems to be primarily applicable to people who are able to get jobs at McKinsey, get into PhD Programs about Artificial Intelligence, and able to earn well-above a median income. Elitism isn’t inherently a bad thing; it can sometimes simply be a way of having high standards.
For context, I’m writing this as a person who grew up in a lower-middle class family, who didn’t live in a big city with lots of opportunities, who went to a university that is not famous, and who has never earned more than the average income. I’m privileged in lots of ways in my life, but because the paths that are highlighted on your website aren’t realistic options (unless I were to spend large amounts of money on re-schooling), it sends a message of “if you aren’t in this particular privileged class of people who have received lots of education at elite institutions, then you probably aren’t the right fit for our club.”