I have started a local community in Zambia for students, graduates, and professionals based on the principles outlined in the 80,000 Hours book. In this thread, I will keep you updated on its progress.
Geography has much to do with your economic status, including access to knowledge and opportunities. I am from Zambia and was privileged to stumble upon the Effective Altruism community that aligns with SOME of my values and the kind of life I want to live. There are a lot of conversations I feel I can’t participate in on this forum because of my geography and limited work/academic experience/network so far—I probably will someday.
I am so motivated to do this because I never had any career guidance at any point in my life. After five years of working as a product design consultant, co-founding some businesses, and a master’s degree, I haven’t resolved what I want to do with my career, so I am very happy to be building an EA community in my country while I engage with the 80,000 HOURS book online and in person.
I am also being mentored by Felix Lee, co-founder of ADPList, which is great because I can learn from his experiences going from being a product designer to his mission to solve many shortcomings of the current education system that hinder the choice to pursue potential career paths.
Some goals that I have and will track in this thread for accountability
Grow the page’s following on Instagram and TikTok to 1000.
Facilitate monthly online meetings where followers meet local professionals working in EA cause areas.
Connect with companies like Udemy, Data Camp, and Coursera to provide scholarships to the community because most of us can’t afford the few hundred dollars to pay for those courses.
THIS IS A BIG ONE—Organise one career fair for students and graduates.
On a more personal note, I look forward to becoming an effective communicator in the EA community. I also have my fingers crossed that I will become a human-centered design lecturer at a university in Zambia.
Picture Credit: https://www.instagram.com/chamwa_tells_stories/
Check out the pages:
https://www.instagram.com/star.careers/
At least when I used it a few years back, if you just wrote coursera that you were a broke student and couldn’t afford the course, they’d give it to you for free. Unsure if that’s still the case, but it’s likely worth giving it a go and seeing what happens!
This is still the case. I used it for my Google UX certification. Not a lot of people know that and they turn away just at the thought of buying a $9 course.
Update #1
Initially, I wanted to only use Zambian sounds for social media to make sure I was reaching my country people, but that didn’t get me as much reach and engagement as trending sounds. I started on around 200 views but have grown to close to 900 views. I will make sure to add location going forward.
There is more engagement on TikTok regarding reach, likes, saves, and new followers than on Facebook and Instagram.
I have shared posts from chapters 1-4, but I am also mixing them up with ideas that are relevant but not discussed in the 80,000 Hours book.
I am experimenting with different ways of delivering the content, e.g., graphic designs, curated pictures from Pinterest, and b-roll videos of myself that don’t show my face. I like using videos. Once I have grasped all the ideas in the book, I intend to start showing my face and speaking more on camera to repurpose the content.