EA groups should focus more on demonstrating value to new students
Aritcle idea posted here so I might be more likely to write it up properly in future. In the spirit of the best being the enemy of the good.
My relatively uninformed opinions on why some uni groups might be struggling to grow, or not growing as large/ fast as they could be...
I think the current standard uni group programs can be off-putting to a significant proportion of potential participants
Intro fellowships and book clubs require work/ commitment on the part of the participant (application and weekly readings for the fellowship; weekly book chapters for the book club) with little demonstration of why that will be valuable for the student.
I think there’s an over-reliance on an implicit assumption that people’s curiosity about EA and desire to do good will be sufficiently motivating.
I don’t think this is the optimum way of encouraging people to get involved as potentially good people are put off by the commitment necessary to get involved.
EA groups are competing for students’ time with more general socialising, other societies, work commitments, coursework, adjusting to living in a new place, etc. A better value pitch is needed to incentivise people to choose EA involvement over other things that often offer more explicit benefits.
2. I think there’s good ways in which EA groups can (better) market their value to new students
EA offers valuable career guidance for students (80k; 1:1 coaching; EA Forum articles) that new students could find useful once they’re familiar with EA
EA offers lots of volunteering/ internship/ funding opportunities for students looking to build work experience to get involved in high-impact work
EA groups could put a greater emphasis on social/ other events that don’t require work in advance (e.g. are just an opportunity to meet other people interested in improving the world effectively)
EA groups could teach the skills/ methods that underpin the EA and Rationality communities and are valuable framing for engaging with other work/ general life decisions (e.g. expected value; cost-effectiveness analyses; BOTECs; etc.)
The current model is plausibly a particularly large obstacle to poorer students. If you are already studying for a degree and working significant hours to cover bills, your time becomes precious enough that you need more than an interest in a topic to follow through with commitment. A fellowship may sound cool but it is also time-intensive with no clear benefit in comparison to your job that allows you to live a vaguely normal student life. Demonstrate value first.
EA groups should focus more on demonstrating value to new students
Aritcle idea posted here so I might be more likely to write it up properly in future. In the spirit of the best being the enemy of the good.
My relatively uninformed opinions on why some uni groups might be struggling to grow, or not growing as large/ fast as they could be...
I think the current standard uni group programs can be off-putting to a significant proportion of potential participants
Intro fellowships and book clubs require work/ commitment on the part of the participant (application and weekly readings for the fellowship; weekly book chapters for the book club) with little demonstration of why that will be valuable for the student.
I think there’s an over-reliance on an implicit assumption that people’s curiosity about EA and desire to do good will be sufficiently motivating.
I don’t think this is the optimum way of encouraging people to get involved as potentially good people are put off by the commitment necessary to get involved.
EA groups are competing for students’ time with more general socialising, other societies, work commitments, coursework, adjusting to living in a new place, etc. A better value pitch is needed to incentivise people to choose EA involvement over other things that often offer more explicit benefits.
2. I think there’s good ways in which EA groups can (better) market their value to new students
EA offers valuable career guidance for students (80k; 1:1 coaching; EA Forum articles) that new students could find useful once they’re familiar with EA
EA offers lots of volunteering/ internship/ funding opportunities for students looking to build work experience to get involved in high-impact work
EA groups could put a greater emphasis on social/ other events that don’t require work in advance (e.g. are just an opportunity to meet other people interested in improving the world effectively)
EA groups could teach the skills/ methods that underpin the EA and Rationality communities and are valuable framing for engaging with other work/ general life decisions (e.g. expected value; cost-effectiveness analyses; BOTECs; etc.)
The current model is plausibly a particularly large obstacle to poorer students. If you are already studying for a degree and working significant hours to cover bills, your time becomes precious enough that you need more than an interest in a topic to follow through with commitment. A fellowship may sound cool but it is also time-intensive with no clear benefit in comparison to your job that allows you to live a vaguely normal student life. Demonstrate value first.