{"id":74561,"date":"2021-10-22T11:54:44","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T11:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/80000hours.org\/?post_type=career_profile&p=74561"},"modified":"2025-11-06T18:40:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T18:40:54","slug":"explore-a-potentially-pressing-global-issue","status":"publish","type":"career_profile","link":"https:\/\/80000hours.org\/career-reviews\/explore-a-potentially-pressing-global-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"Investigate a potentially pressing but unexplored global issue"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

In a nutshell:<\/strong> Working on neglected global problems that could be<\/em> even more pressing than those we currently prioritise could be very high impact. If you identify such a problem, resources could be directed to address it much earlier than might have been done otherwise. On the other hand, if your research indicates a potential problem shouldn’t be prioritised, then you can write up your findings for others, saving them time.<\/p>\n

This path isn’t exactly competitive<\/em> per se, but it seems very difficult to succeed, so we group it with highly competitive paths like becoming a public intellectual.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Sometimes recommended \u2014 highly competitive<\/h3>\n

This career is potentially high-impact, but is exceptionally competitive.\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Review status<\/h4>\n

Based on a shallow investigation 
\n <\/i><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

Why might exploring a potentially pressing problem be high impact?<\/h2>\n

There are many neglected global problems that could turn out to be as or even more pressing than those we currently prioritise most highly<\/a>. We’d be keen to see more people explore them by acquiring relevant training and a network of mentors, and getting to know the relevant fields.<\/p>\n

If the problem area still seems potentially promising once you’ve built up a background, you could take on a project or try to build up the relevant fields, for instance by setting up a conference or newsletter to help people working in the area coordinate better.<\/p>\n

If, after investigating, working on the issue doesn’t seem particularly high impact, then you’ve helped to eliminate an option, freeing up others’ time and resources to be used better elsewhere.<\/p>\n

In either case, we’d be keen to see writeups of these explorations, for instance on the Effective Altruism Forum<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you have an idea for a novel approach to address one of our highest-priority problems<\/a>, it could also be high impact to explore that. But because our highest-priority problems have been more researched, the value of information coming from exploring more within them is likely to be lower.<\/p>\n

We can’t really recommend exploration of new issues as a priority path because it’s so amorphous and uncertain. It also generally requires unusual degrees of entrepreneurialism and creativity<\/a>, since you may get less support in your work (especially early on), and it’s challenging to think of new projects and research ideas that provide useful information about a less-explored area.<\/p>\n

However, if you fit this profile (and especially if you are already interested in and knowledgeable about the problem you want to explore), this path could be an excellent option for you.<\/p>\n

You might be able to explore an underexplored area as a global priorities researcher<\/a> at an organisation or independently, or perhaps as a founder<\/a> creating a new project to address the issue — though we generally recommend doing research first.<\/p>\n

Want one-on-one advice on pursuing this path?<\/h3>\n

If you think this path might be a great option for you, but you need help deciding or thinking about what to do next, our team might be able to help.<\/p>\n

We can help you compare options, make connections, and possibly even help you find jobs or funding opportunities.<\/p>\n

APPLY TO SPEAK WITH OUR TEAM<\/a><\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h3>\n