This is good advice, and is not specific to AI safety or “short timelines”. In every field I’ve ever been part of, the people who show up and start doing the stuff that they see needs doing end up accomplishing more than the people who think in terms of filling open positions and sending applications.
If someone is hiring for the work you want to do, or is offering a fellowship that seems like it’ll help you get where you want to go, then by all means apply. But the difference in mindset between people who see that stuff as the default, vs those who see it as instrumental towards their own plans, is very big.
Highly agree with the importance of starting to do work if you want to enter a field.
But I’d highlight that most people can also find a few (e.g. 4-8) hours each week alongside a job (as already mention in other comments) so I’d encourage to think about these separately:
shall I start doing this in my free time?
shall I start doing this instead of a non-AIS job?
The alternative to the latter like EtG, career capital, acces to more mentoring through a job (and potentially even to the former as well) could ve strong for some.
This is good advice, and is not specific to AI safety or “short timelines”. In every field I’ve ever been part of, the people who show up and start doing the stuff that they see needs doing end up accomplishing more than the people who think in terms of filling open positions and sending applications.
If someone is hiring for the work you want to do, or is offering a fellowship that seems like it’ll help you get where you want to go, then by all means apply. But the difference in mindset between people who see that stuff as the default, vs those who see it as instrumental towards their own plans, is very big.
Highly agree with the importance of starting to do work if you want to enter a field.
But I’d highlight that most people can also find a few (e.g. 4-8) hours each week alongside a job (as already mention in other comments) so I’d encourage to think about these separately:
shall I start doing this in my free time?
shall I start doing this instead of a non-AIS job?
The alternative to the latter like EtG, career capital, acces to more mentoring through a job (and potentially even to the former as well) could ve strong for some.