Episode Details
Back to Episodes“The unreasonable effectiveness of gifting the 80000 Hours book” by hazza
Description
Note: I am not associated with 80000 Hours. I just like the book.
TLDR: if any of your friends would benefit from career advice, giving them the newly released 80000 Hours book may be the most effective thing you can do.
The process
I graduated from university just around the time the 80000 Hours book came out, and I bought 4 copies of the book to give to my friends. This went way better than expected, and I’m writing this because I think more people should do the same.
It's really simple:
- Find people in your circle who might benefit from career advice. For example, if they aren’t sure about their career plans, are job-hunting or aren’t feeling fulfilled.
- Schedule a time to meet.
- Give them the book and tell them how useful it is.
I was a bit hesitant it would be seen as evangelizing, but I’m surprised at how well it went. Most strikingly, I ended up giving a copy to a friend who had accepted a grad job at Jane Street. At first, I was sure that he wouldn’t actually want one - he certainly didn’t seem to need career advice of all people! But [...]
---
Outline:
(00:27) The process
(01:34) Why this might be unusually effective
(03:30) But can't they get a free book anyways?
(04:29) Conclusion
---
First published:
June 23rd, 2026
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.