Ask HN: What should I do with my life?
Dear HN,
This is not meant to be a criticism of our society. Not a “Wake up, sheeple!” rant. Everybody has their reasons, who am I to judge? It is more about finding a direction which is consistent with my beliefs and since I feel mostly compatible with this community, I thought I might ask here.
I am a male in my early 20s and have been struggling with this question now for years. In my current life situation, I’m able to enter into almost any field. No responsibilities. All doors are open.
I am not interested in maximizing my happiness. I do not care about having a great amount of money or social status. My goal is to have a net positive impact. But I’m not even capable to define what could be “positive”. Should I be the one who defines it?
Looking at the job board and ideas of “80,000 Hours” left me unsatisfied (Again, this is about my personal beliefs, not an attack on anyone. If you want to work on AI or become a billionaire or just live in peace with your loved ones, please go ahead). Entering academia and spending 10+ years to establish yourself in an inadequate equilibrium in order to have a small chance of success (my parents work both in this category)? Going into politics? Trading in hedge funds to be able to earn to give... Really? In my opinion it’s not effective to work in those categories because a) it is extremely hard to reach the “meritocratic” top and b) if I manage to fight my way up through a flawed system, I will most certainly be corrupted.
Others argue that we should focus on small positive impacts because “when compounded across millions of people, they are powerful”. Sure, but just because I don’t fly on vacation won’t change the fact that billions do. Even mobilizing whole continents to fight against our current climate crisis might not change a thing.
I just don’t know what to do with my life. Everything feels like a distraction. My mindset paralyzes and isolates me. Does anyone of you have similar thoughts? You can donate to organizations, you don't have to become the next Nelson Mandela, Julian Assange, etc (unless you want to!). You don't need to donate a ton, even a small amount is enough. Organizations like the EFF have professionals who are trustworthy and do a damn good job.