Part 9: How to make your career plan

Part 9: How to make your career plan

Author: Benjamin Todd & the 80,000 Hours team September 4, 2023 Duration: 23:04

Answer: Rather than try to pinpoint the single best option, accept that your plan is likely to change. But don’t try to “keep your options open”. Instead, think about your career in three stages: exploring, building career capital, and deploying that career capital to have an impact. Then, sketch out a plan A, but also a plan B and plan Z in case it doesn’t work out. Update your plan every couple of years.

Here we explain how to make a flexible A/B/Z career plan.


If you've ever felt that nagging tension between wanting a job that pays the bills, feels personally meaningful, and actually makes a positive dent in the world's problems, this audio series is for you. The 80,000 Hours Career Guide-Find a fulfilling career that does good is a direct, thoughtful conversation hosted by Benjamin Todd & the 80,000 Hours team, adapted from their comprehensive 2023 research. It moves beyond vague inspirational talk to tackle the concrete, often counterintuitive questions that really shape a working life. You'll hear detailed explorations on what the evidence says about finding a dream job, the practical ways to build valuable career connections, and how to honestly weigh up which paths might help others the most. The structure is clear: eleven core chapters walk you through the major decision points, followed by nine deep-dive appendices that cover specific dilemmas, like whether it's ever justifiable to work in a harmful industry for a greater good, or what the collected research says about simply being more effective in any role you choose. This isn't about quick fixes or generic lists; it's a methodical, evidence-backed guide for rethinking how you use your skills and time. The tone is grounded and conversational, making the team's substantial research feel accessible and immediately useful. Tune into this podcast for a structured, challenging, and ultimately hopeful framework to navigate your own career choices with more clarity and purpose.
Author: Language: en-nz Episodes: 22

[NEW EDITION AVAILABLE ON AUDIBLE] The 80,000 Hours Career Guide
Podcast Episodes
Appendix A: The meaning of making a difference [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:26
Lots of people say they want to “make a difference,” “do good,” “have a social impact,” or “make the world a better place” — but they rarely say what they mean by those terms.By getting clearer about your definition, you…
Appendix C: Four biases to avoid in career decisions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:21
Over the last couple of decades, a large and growing body of research has emerged which shows that our decisions are far from rational. We did a survey of this research to find out what it means for your career decisions…
Appendix H: Career review summaries [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:35
As part of our research, we’ve evaluated different careers: how likely people are to succeed in them, how much good they could do in them, and how to enter them.