Many EAs seek to switch careers (e.g. from working in finance to working at an EA-aligned research institute), but career changes can be challenging and feel overwhelming. It can be especially tough for mid-career professionals (see “We need 40,000h or maybe even 20,000h”).
For inspiration on successful mid-career transitions, I suggest looking to Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and Ina Garten, the “barefoot contessa.” Their career transitions are not EA-related,[1] but they are two of the most extreme (and successful) radical career changes I know of.
Skunk Baxter: From Guitarist to Missile Defense Expert
Jeff Baxter was an accomplished guitarist, a founding member of Steely Dan, member of the Doobie Brothers, who played and toured with some of the biggest legends of 20th century music.[2] Baxter was interested in the technology behind his music – the hardware and software that made modern recording equipment work. He also had a neighbor who had worked on missile technology. Baxter bought a subscription to Aviation Week, one thing led to another, and Wikipedia puts it well: Baxter “became self-taught in this area, and at one point wrote a five-page paper that proposed converting the ship-based anti-aircraft Aegis missile into a rudimentary missile defense system. He gave the paper to California Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, and his career as a defense consultant began.”[3]
Baxter then worked for DoD, the Missile Defense Agency, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, and Northrop Grumman, at national labs, and seemingly every part of the U.S. defense establishment. [4]
He also still plays music, and appears with the Coalition of the Willing, a band of current and former “diplomats who rock” [5] – including now-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Ina Garten: From Nuclear Policy Advisor to Celebrity Chef
Moving in the opposite direction, there’s Ina Garten. Garten had an MBA from George Washington and initially worked in government, eventually ending up at the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where she oversaw the NRC’s budget.[6] Her husband, Jeffrey Garten, also worked in government, including on Henry Kissinger’s staff. At 30, Garten decided that her government job “was intellectually exciting and stimulating but it wasn’t me at all.” She saw an ad for a grocery store in the Hamptons, bought it, and quit her job.[7] She turned that store into the Barefoot Contessa brand, books, and eventually her show on the Food Network.[8]
As far as I know, unlike Baxter, Garten has left her old life behind and does not work on nuclear energy budgets in her free time.
Radical Career Transitions: Skunk Baxter and the Barefoot Contessa
Many EAs seek to switch careers (e.g. from working in finance to working at an EA-aligned research institute), but career changes can be challenging and feel overwhelming. It can be especially tough for mid-career professionals (see “We need 40,000h or maybe even 20,000h”).
For inspiration on successful mid-career transitions, I suggest looking to Jeff “Skunk” Baxter and Ina Garten, the “barefoot contessa.” Their career transitions are not EA-related,[1] but they are two of the most extreme (and successful) radical career changes I know of.
Skunk Baxter: From Guitarist to Missile Defense Expert
Jeff Baxter was an accomplished guitarist, a founding member of Steely Dan, member of the Doobie Brothers, who played and toured with some of the biggest legends of 20th century music.[2] Baxter was interested in the technology behind his music – the hardware and software that made modern recording equipment work. He also had a neighbor who had worked on missile technology. Baxter bought a subscription to Aviation Week, one thing led to another, and Wikipedia puts it well: Baxter “became self-taught in this area, and at one point wrote a five-page paper that proposed converting the ship-based anti-aircraft Aegis missile into a rudimentary missile defense system. He gave the paper to California Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, and his career as a defense consultant began.”[3]
Baxter then worked for DoD, the Missile Defense Agency, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, and Northrop Grumman, at national labs, and seemingly every part of the U.S. defense establishment. [4]
He also still plays music, and appears with the Coalition of the Willing, a band of current and former “diplomats who rock” [5] – including now-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Ina Garten: From Nuclear Policy Advisor to Celebrity Chef
Moving in the opposite direction, there’s Ina Garten. Garten had an MBA from George Washington and initially worked in government, eventually ending up at the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where she oversaw the NRC’s budget.[6] Her husband, Jeffrey Garten, also worked in government, including on Henry Kissinger’s staff. At 30, Garten decided that her government job “was intellectually exciting and stimulating but it wasn’t me at all.” She saw an ad for a grocery store in the Hamptons, bought it, and quit her job.[7] She turned that store into the Barefoot Contessa brand, books, and eventually her show on the Food Network.[8]
As far as I know, unlike Baxter, Garten has left her old life behind and does not work on nuclear energy budgets in her free time.
At least not directly, though Skunk’s missile defense work has GCR implications.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2018/12/11/minutes-with-steely-dan-doobie-brothers-guitarist-jeff-baxter/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Baxter
https://now.northropgrumman.com/from-music-to-missile-defense-the-very-interesting-life-of-jeff-baxter/
https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/10903/
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/07/style/exchanging-standard-careers-for-dreams.html; https://www.vox.com/2014/7/17/5898313/barefoot-contessa-ina-garten-explainer
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/07/style/exchanging-standard-careers-for-dreams.html
https://www.vox.com/2014/7/17/5898313/barefoot-contessa-ina-garten-explainer