What I’m keen to know is, because I’m merely working on a bachelor’s at a non-Tier 1 university, and I haven’t done a master’s, nor am I a mid career professional—and I’m not a self starter—would applying for any of the things you linked matter? I’ve looked at the background of a lot of EAs, and success in the field seems to select hard for legible talent and/or self-starting. I worry that these, too, will simply be swamped by hordes of shiny university students and mid-pivot professionals, and the best I could hope for—if I got accepted at all—is doing unpaid work that results in a meaningless résumé entry. The work itself would be meaningful, yes, but I worry there is no career in it, and I will run out of runway eventually and have to just get a normal job.
What I’m keen to know is, because I’m merely working on a bachelor’s at a non-Tier 1 university, and I haven’t done a master’s, nor am I a mid career professional—and I’m not a self starter—would applying for any of the things you linked matter? I’ve looked at the background of a lot of EAs, and success in the field seems to select hard for legible talent and/or self-starting. I worry that these, too, will simply be swamped by hordes of shiny university students and mid-pivot professionals, and the best I could hope for—if I got accepted at all—is doing unpaid work that results in a meaningless résumé entry. The work itself would be meaningful, yes, but I worry there is no career in it, and I will run out of runway eventually and have to just get a normal job.