As someone just starting out on the path towards becoming AI safety researcher I appreciate this post a lot. I have started worrying about not having enough impact in the field if I could not become established fast enough. However, reading this I think that it might serve me (and the field) better if I instead take my time and instead only enter the field properly if I find that my personal fit seems good and that I can stay in the field for a long time.
Furthermore, this post has helped me in finding possible worthwhile early on projects that could increase my understanding and personal fit for the field.
Sounds good! For me, it was detrimental to focus on intended-for-public projects early on. It would probably have been better to build my understanding and knowledge, which you also appear to be aiming at.
As someone just starting out on the path towards becoming AI safety researcher I appreciate this post a lot. I have started worrying about not having enough impact in the field if I could not become established fast enough. However, reading this I think that it might serve me (and the field) better if I instead take my time and instead only enter the field properly if I find that my personal fit seems good and that I can stay in the field for a long time.
Furthermore, this post has helped me in finding possible worthwhile early on projects that could increase my understanding and personal fit for the field.
Sounds good! For me, it was detrimental to focus on intended-for-public projects early on. It would probably have been better to build my understanding and knowledge, which you also appear to be aiming at.
If I can help you with anything or answer questions, let me know. In general, it’s good to talk with experienced and successful people and I would suggest attending some of the now-virtual conferences to do that. – EAGxVirtual or events on this calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=Y2wxanRxMW80anNpcnJsMWdlaHE1a3BpanNAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ