Earning to Give

Huge numbers of people lack sufficient food, water, safety, and shelter. Others have these, most of the time, but lack the security to trust that they will continue to have them.

How can I help people? How can I most improve the world?

As a first world professional, a strong option seems to be "earning to give". I work to make money so I can give it to the most effective charities I can find. For me this means working for Google as a programmer and giving to GiveWell's top charities.

You can read more about this approach:

• Make Money: why activists should consider making lots of money.
• 80,000 Hours: earning to give; career advice.
• The Unit of Caring: why to donate.
• Replaceabilty: it's hard to choose a career to directly help people.
• Efficient Charity: take identifying the best charity seriously.