Executive summary: The author describes their winding career path from aspiring political science professor to research scientist, highlighting how unexpected opportunities and persistent interests ultimately led to a fulfilling role despite numerous setbacks.
Key points:
The author’s initial goal of becoming a political science professor was derailed by poor performance in graduate school.
Multiple career transitions followed, including brief stints in tech, freelancing, and hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Persistent interest in research and meta-analysis projects eventually led to opportunities in that field.
Failures and rejections were not final, as the author ultimately achieved their goal of becoming a researcher, albeit in a different field than originally planned.
The author emphasizes the importance of pursuing projects that genuinely interest you, even if the career path is unclear.
Privilege and social networks played a role in allowing the author to recover from setbacks and continue exploring career options.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, andcontact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: The author describes their winding career path from aspiring political science professor to research scientist, highlighting how unexpected opportunities and persistent interests ultimately led to a fulfilling role despite numerous setbacks.
Key points:
The author’s initial goal of becoming a political science professor was derailed by poor performance in graduate school.
Multiple career transitions followed, including brief stints in tech, freelancing, and hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Persistent interest in research and meta-analysis projects eventually led to opportunities in that field.
Failures and rejections were not final, as the author ultimately achieved their goal of becoming a researcher, albeit in a different field than originally planned.
The author emphasizes the importance of pursuing projects that genuinely interest you, even if the career path is unclear.
Privilege and social networks played a role in allowing the author to recover from setbacks and continue exploring career options.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.