[Career review] “Software engineering” by Benjamin Hilton

Software engineers can contribute directly to solving some of the world’s most pressing problems. There is a shortage of software engineers at the cutting edge of research into AI safety. Narrated by AI. ---Outline:(01:34) In a nutshell:(02:02) Pros(02:21) Cons(02:50) Key facts on fit(03:06) Sometimes recommended -- personal fit dependent(03:18) Review status(03:47) Why might software engineering be high impact?(04:29) How to do good as a software engineer(07:44) Software engineers can help with AI safety(09:57) Software engineer salaries mean you can earn to give(12:07) What does a software engineering career involve?(13:26) Working for a large software company(15:12) Key career stages at large tech companies(17:55) Working for a startup as a software engineer(19:49) Moving to a direct impact software engineering role(19:55) Working in AI safety(22:05) Working on reducing global catastrophic biological risks(23:33) Other important direct work(24:44) Reasons not to go into software engineering(25:36) How much do software engineers earn?(26:50) Software engineering salaries in the US(30:11) Software engineering pay in other countries(32:35) Software engineering job outlook(33:44) Software engineering job satisfaction(34:52) Examples of people pursuing this path(34:57) Nova DasSarma(35:49) Roman Duda(36:38) How to predict your fit in advance(37:56) How to enter this field(38:30) Learning to program(40:50) Getting your first job in software engineering(43:38) Want one-on-one advice on pursuing this path?(43:59) Learn more(44:02) Top recommendations(44:19) Further recommendations(44:25) Articles from 80,000 Hours(45:00) Other reading(45:51) Find a job in this path(46:02) Learn about other high-impact careers The original text contained 9 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: February 4th, 2022 Source: https://80000hours.org/career-reviews/software-engineering --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.