My Journey into Effective Altruism

Entering the EA Space

I recently did the intro to EA course, and I met some of the most wonderful people. What made it unusual was that the group was almost all female - about ten women and just one male participant. We came from all over the world, people I never imagined I’d meet.

What I walked away with were some deep questions: What does it mean to have an impactful career? What does it mean to have a scout mindset? What does it mean to experience a collapse of compassion?

Compassion and Context

As someone African and part of the Indian diaspora, I found concepts like “collapse of compassion” didn’t land the same way for me as they might for others. When you grow up around poverty, it’s not abstract - it’s your own family, your neighbors, the people you see daily.

When people talk about donating money to prevent malaria, that’s not a distant crisis -it’s happening on our doorstep. For many of us, the goal isn’t theoretical impact; it’s simply working hard to get your family out of poverty, to afford healthcare. And by healthcare, I don’t mean luxury - I mean being able to see a doctor without waiting so long you get even sicker while waiting.

Different Priorities, Different Worlds

It was fascinating to see how people prioritized causes. Some were deeply invested in animal welfare, but not necessarily in the large-scale factory farming issues EA highlights. Instead, they wanted to focus on cats and dogs. This sparked heated debates: why help ten dogs when you could help billions of farm animals? I feel asking people to choose between a pet and an animal that we eat is not the way to win people over.

Wrestling with Thought Experiments

Another thing I learned was how to properly engage with thought experiments. I didn’t realize before (despite having a law degree!) that you’re supposed to step fully into the hypothesis instead of poking holes in it. I am a true devil’s advocate at heart.

But honestly, that was the hardest part. A room full of women who are used to solving problems being asked to suspend that instinct - it clashed with our nature. Still, thought experiments helped me clarify where I stand on long-termism versus near-termism.

I especially liked the “good ancestor” exercise. When I wrote to my ancestors, I realized my grandmother and mother weren’t so different from me. It brought home the idea that hindsight lessons could just as well apply to them. And when writing to future descendants, it surfaced my own fears about the future - one reason I’ve considered not having kids. That reflection was unexpectedly powerful.

The Hardest Part of Joining EA

I came into EA thinking people would welcome me with open arms. Instead, the process felt more rigorous than corporate recruitment. In corporate, you apply, you interview, you get the job. With EA (Open Phil, fellowships, opportunities) you fill out endless forms/applications, hear nothing, then maybe someone replies… but it’s all very drawn out.

It feels counterintuitive: you want to be high impact, but you need to already prove your impact before being accepted into opportunities that help you become high impact.

Many women in my cohort echoed the same frustrations. EA can feel overly mathematical, dismissive of “fuzzy feelings,” even though emotions often drive people to take meaningful action.

And then there’s the accessibility problem. Some of the writing is boring and dense. Forums devolve into arguments about word choices. I remember one thread where people debated endlessly about whether “responsible technology” was the right phrase. At some point, as Toby Ord says, you just need common sense.

EA Everywhere

Despite the frustrations, once you’re aware of EA, you start seeing it everywhere. YouTube ads, podcasts, nonprofits, foundations - all tied back to EA. Even my best friend turned out to be involved. The ubiquity shocked me. (Not even delving into the cult of it all.)

But one lingering question remains: what changes after the intro course? For many of us, the end goal is getting an EA-aligned job - not for the money, but to avoid wasting our lives, as 80,000 Hours puts it. Yet to get those jobs, you often already need to have proven yourself or known the right people. That part is still unclear to me.

Moving Forward

Still, I’m excited about this journey. I am trying to build career capital, started volunteering with EA aligned foundations, and done things I never imagined I would. I’ve met people who inspire me deeply, and I’m grateful for them.

I can’t wait to see what the next two or three years hold, and what it will mean for me to truly have a high-impact career.

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