Thanks for this post, these kinds of details seem very useful for anyone wanting to attempt this path!
A worry I have: there are people who long for the imagined lifestyle and self-description of being an independent AI alignment/agency researcher. I would categorize some of my past selves this way.
For many such people, trying to follow this path too enthusiastically would be bad for them—but they might not have the memetic immunities that protect them from those bad decisions. For instance, their social safety net might be insufficient for the level of financial risk, or the career tradeoffs might be very large. This post is enthusiastic, but I think many people need to be urged caution when making major life changes—especially around such high stakes causes, where emotions run high.
So for my past selves, I’d disclaim:
It’s ok (and good) to prioritize your own financial and social safety net. You can revisit your ability to contribute from a better position in the future. The risks of things not going as well for you are very real.
When starting down such a path, you should have a clear fallback plan that does not involve immense suffering. For instance, make effort for X time period before attempting to find an alternate job if you have not achieved Y income. Do this only if you have confidence you will not take a too-large psychological hit from the failure.
Yeah, I took the extremely-low-risk option of tinkering away as a hobby, while working a normal industry job, until I had a new income source in hand. So I had no employment gap. That turned out to be a viable option for me, but YMMV. For example, some jobs suck up all your time or energy, leaving no slack for side-projects. Anyone can DM me for other tips and tricks. :)
Thanks for this post, these kinds of details seem very useful for anyone wanting to attempt this path!
A worry I have: there are people who long for the imagined lifestyle and self-description of being an independent AI alignment/agency researcher. I would categorize some of my past selves this way.
For many such people, trying to follow this path too enthusiastically would be bad for them—but they might not have the memetic immunities that protect them from those bad decisions. For instance, their social safety net might be insufficient for the level of financial risk, or the career tradeoffs might be very large. This post is enthusiastic, but I think many people need to be urged caution when making major life changes—especially around such high stakes causes, where emotions run high.
So for my past selves, I’d disclaim:
It’s ok (and good) to prioritize your own financial and social safety net. You can revisit your ability to contribute from a better position in the future. The risks of things not going as well for you are very real.
When starting down such a path, you should have a clear fallback plan that does not involve immense suffering. For instance, make effort for X time period before attempting to find an alternate job if you have not achieved Y income. Do this only if you have confidence you will not take a too-large psychological hit from the failure.
Yeah, I took the extremely-low-risk option of tinkering away as a hobby, while working a normal industry job, until I had a new income source in hand. So I had no employment gap. That turned out to be a viable option for me, but YMMV. For example, some jobs suck up all your time or energy, leaving no slack for side-projects. Anyone can DM me for other tips and tricks. :)