The speaker is the founder of an organization that researches how to choose a fulfilling career. He argues that the common advice of "follow your passion" is flawed and misleading, and that instead, people should focus on doing what's valuable, which means getting good at something that genuinely helps others and makes the world a better place. He claims that this will not only benefit society, but also lead to personal satisfaction, happiness, and meaning. He gives some practical tips on how to do what's valuable, such as exploring different options, acquiring in-demand skills, and solving neglected social problems. He concludes by urging the audience to use their 80,000 hours of work in their lives to do something worthwhile and impactful.
Here are some possible facts extracted from the text:
- The speaker founded an organization called 80000hours that researches how to choose a fulfilling career.
- The speaker argues that following your passion is not a good career advice and instead suggests doing what's valuable.
- The speaker defines doing what's valuable as getting good at something that genuinely helps others and makes the world a better place.
- The speaker cites Martin Seligman's book Flourish as a source of empirical research on what causes people to be satisfied and happy in their lives.
- The speaker identifies achievement and meaning as two key ingredients for a fulfilling career according to Seligman's research.
- The speaker gives examples of skills that are in demand and can be used in many different areas, such as computer programming.
- The speaker advises to find problems that are important and neglected by other people, and apply your skills to solving them.
- The speaker uses a deathbed scenario to illustrate the difference between a career focused on self-interest and a career focused on altruism.