80,000 Hours: How to Have a Fulfilling Career That Does Good

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘If you’re worried about wasting your life, read this book.’ Rutger Bregman, author of Humankind ‘The best book ever written about how to have a fulfilling and impactful career.’ Liv Boeree, world poker champion A ridiculously in-depth guide to finding a fulfilling, AI-proof career You have about 80,000 hours in your career: 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year, for 40 years. That makes it the most important decision you’ll ever make. Choose well, and you can have a more rewarding, interesting life, and also help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. Choose poorly, and you could waste decades. So what should you do? Most advice is based on no research, instead offering misleading platitudes like ‘follow your passion’. And it is surprisingly out-of-date, focusing on traditional paths rather than those most likely to thrive in an age of AI. If you want to help others, meanwhile, you’re often simply told to become a nurse or doctor, when there are many other paths which can save more lives. In fact, some careers have hundreds of times more impact than others, but most of us have no idea which ones. Benjamin Todd is the founder of 80,000 Hours, a non-profit that has spent over fifteen years researching how to have a meaningful and impactful career that still pays the bills. Now he explores how anyone can find a fulfilling and impactful career, covering: What really makes for a dream job, and why finding it probably doesn't involve "following your passion" How to identify which global problems are most pressing, and why the might involve unregulated AI as much as climate change Which roles are likely to be automated, and how to ensure yours isn't among them You’ll come away with a plan to use your 80,000 hours in a way that’s rewarding, AI-proof and fulfils your potential to make a difference. PRAISE FOR 80,000 HOURS ‘This career guide is among the most thoughtful and grounded I’ve seen.' Cal Newport, author of Deep Work ‘A remarkably rigorous guide about how to find that perfect career for you.’ Ali Abdaal, author of Feel-Good Productivity ‘Based on evidence and good sense, not platitudes.’ Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of our Nature ‘The most informative book you can read if you’re stuck trying to make one of life’s most important decisions.’ Hannah Ritchie, author of Not the End of the World