Really great essay! I'm going through something very similar, only I'm about 5 years behind you. I spent undergrad optimizing for econ PhD admissions, and now I just don't see the point. I would love to hear more advice for econ students looking to pivot to AI safety.
This essay actually peeled off from a more tactical advice piece on how to pivot from a PhD program into AI safety! That will come in the future. But the short version is: use the optionality and time provided by a PhD program to do interesting projects that feel useful to making AI go well. Try to do them yourself, and also reach out to other people who know more and can mentor you. Economists are in high demand in AI safety, and you will have plenty of opportunities to contribute if you are open-minded.
Thank you for the advice, I'm excited to read that piece! If you were in undergrad today, would you still choose to pursue a PhD?
I'm in my final year, so I'm debating whether it is worth applying or whether I should skip grad school and look for AI safety roles right out of undergrad.
Really great essay! I'm going through something very similar, only I'm about 5 years behind you. I spent undergrad optimizing for econ PhD admissions, and now I just don't see the point. I would love to hear more advice for econ students looking to pivot to AI safety.
This essay actually peeled off from a more tactical advice piece on how to pivot from a PhD program into AI safety! That will come in the future. But the short version is: use the optionality and time provided by a PhD program to do interesting projects that feel useful to making AI go well. Try to do them yourself, and also reach out to other people who know more and can mentor you. Economists are in high demand in AI safety, and you will have plenty of opportunities to contribute if you are open-minded.
Thank you for the advice, I'm excited to read that piece! If you were in undergrad today, would you still choose to pursue a PhD?
I'm in my final year, so I'm debating whether it is worth applying or whether I should skip grad school and look for AI safety roles right out of undergrad.
I would not do a PhD today, and if I was sufficiently early in a PhD today I would probably quit it!
What an essay. Bravo
Thank you deric!!