My advice for EAs who want to skill up in a neglected area:
Get a good mentor who broadly aligns with EA values but already has the skill. I’ve had three of these relationships (with experts in fish welfare, M&E, and agricultural development). In each case, it was symbiotic: I could offer EA knowledge and connections in return for them teaching me their skillset.
Book calls with as many relevant people as possible in the field. Shamelessly ask for help, even from people only tangentially related to what you’re trying to learn. The more you snowball contacts, the better your chances of finding a mentor. Also, having lots of people explain the fundamentals to you repeatedly is very useful, as it helps you learn the core ideas of the field.
Read a lot. Try to consume a lot of media from the chosen field. You know you’re doing well when you start to notice consistent underlying patterns and premises (again, the core ideas).
Start applying it before you’re ready. Look for small projects you can use as practice for the new skill.
My advice for EAs who want to skill up in a neglected area:
Get a good mentor who broadly aligns with EA values but already has the skill. I’ve had three of these relationships (with experts in fish welfare, M&E, and agricultural development). In each case, it was symbiotic: I could offer EA knowledge and connections in return for them teaching me their skillset.
Book calls with as many relevant people as possible in the field. Shamelessly ask for help, even from people only tangentially related to what you’re trying to learn. The more you snowball contacts, the better your chances of finding a mentor. Also, having lots of people explain the fundamentals to you repeatedly is very useful, as it helps you learn the core ideas of the field.
Read a lot. Try to consume a lot of media from the chosen field. You know you’re doing well when you start to notice consistent underlying patterns and premises (again, the core ideas).
Start applying it before you’re ready. Look for small projects you can use as practice for the new skill.
In general, when learning a new skill, Andrea Gunn’s talk on training leaders offers a lot of good insight. I also made a one-page summary of her talk.
I have historically been able to do this upskilling as a side project to my existing job.