True, it’s always good to remind oneself of a broader option space.
Could you elaborate what you mean by ‘working at orgs’… since engineering would meet that definition, or do you mean explicitly other roles than engineering, such as ops or management?
I don’t think I’d be a good fit for computer security, both in terms of pre-existing skills and interest, but I get your general point. (My undergrad was in physics, not CS, so I’m lacking quite a few of the traditional CS skills, except in the more theoretical subjects). Do you have a pointer to resources discussing the most needed skill sets in this broader cause area?
I think you should consider more options besides PhD research and engineering.
For example, working at orgs. Or switching career paths entirely to something much more needed, such as computer security. Or joining a startup.
True, it’s always good to remind oneself of a broader option space.
Could you elaborate what you mean by ‘working at orgs’… since engineering would meet that definition, or do you mean explicitly other roles than engineering, such as ops or management?
I don’t think I’d be a good fit for computer security, both in terms of pre-existing skills and interest, but I get your general point. (My undergrad was in physics, not CS, so I’m lacking quite a few of the traditional CS skills, except in the more theoretical subjects). Do you have a pointer to resources discussing the most needed skill sets in this broader cause area?
Ah, my bad, I assumed by engineer you meant at an AI lab. Engineer at an org sounds good to me!
But yeah ops or managment or generalist researcher or whatever at an org would also be good.
Re security maybe here would be a good place to start: Information security careers for GCR reduction—EA Forum (effectivealtruism.org)
Basically, the current situation is that our community desperately needs information security specialists and currently doesn’t have any.