I have a goal: to collaborate with other ambitious individuals to improve our wonderful world. Unfortunately, I'm unsure how to achieve this goal. What specific problem should I focus on and aim to solve? What should I study? And another question that just keeps swirling in my mind without end.
Before anything else, I'm writing this primarily for myself, hoping that by expressing my thoughts and reading them multiple times, I'll begin to find the right path forward. Also, I write this for other fellow high school students who feel full of questions that no one cares about, or at least the majority
Fortunately & unfortunately I feel that I love and feel fascinated by almost any subject I study. For instance, I completed the entire IGCSE Maths syllabus in just five months, while most students take one or two years to finish it. In IGCSE Business Studies, I am among the students nominated for the Cambridge Learner Award this year! I'm also currently conducting independent research in Biology, Maths, and Computer Science, focusing on using AI to detect novel antimicrobial peptides for sepsis treatment! Only to name a few.
I've read the career guide as well as some articles from the advanced series from 80,000 Hours (I can’t emphasize enough how incredibly helpful these articles were!) Also, I've gone through some of the articles here on the forum as well (amazingly helpful too) but still, I feel like I can't decide. I feel that most of these articles are for those who have finished their undergraduate degree so I don't feel they are relevant to me, a high school student sadly.
One example is this: "We think it’s plausible that we will develop AI that could be hugely transformative for society by the end of the 2030s." from 80,000 Hours. Now my question is: does this mean that AI Safety is not a good career (in terms of impact & compared to other career options) after the end of the 2030s?
My last question is, what would you advise a young man who is really and deeply motivated and wants to have an impact, to support in solving pressing problems, to significantly impact and assist in addressing important challenges?
Thanks!