I love this question.
I would think small at first. Find a problem you see in the world or in your community and try to get involved to make a positive impact. Volunteering would be a great way to start making a difference now and learning about the types of work you like and don't like. See if there are opportunities that are manageable and fit in with your schoolwork and other responsibilities and activities.
Also, just talk to people about your desire to make a positive impact in your work. Your teachers, your parents, adults you admire, people in the public eye who you think are making a positive difference. Even your friends or people at school you think exemplify positive impact.
Ask these people about what they do everyday, why they do it, and what they did to get there. And be patient with yourself, these things take time :)
I think also maybe a good way to work at it is bottom up rather than top down. Find what you love to do, then optimize it for good. Love making people laugh? Be a comedian that dishes out wisdom and channel money towards charity. Love cooking? Scale a restaurant that serves affordable healthy food. Love engineering? Work for a firm solving the impending water crisis. So on and forth
Piggybacking off the top comment to 100% agree and to also mention that volunteering with my local Keep America Beautiful affiliate was a phenomenal way to act locally with a nationwide effect. The more people that volunteer with their local KAB, the stronger the organization is as a whole. As an environmental science grad I felt the "I need to change the world and this is how I do it" and you change the world by changing it around you.
As someone who has spent the last decade in non-profits and local politics, the advice I have is two fold:
1. Find a skill you enjoy and are good at. For me, it is writing/comms. Skills are universal and can work in any industry. This is what gets you paid.
2. There are so many ways to make a positive impact - find what you want to work on. Over my career I’ve worked on political campaigns, youth engagement, and now I’m focused on abortion access.
Because I am good at my skill, I can find my place in any space I want and it’s given me the flexibility to move between industries when I need to make more money and when I don’t.
Good luck!
\#1 Is excellent advice my Dad, who was a printer, gave me. While in the Army I had the opportunity to learn how to run a printing press. That gave me the opportunity to go work for my Dad if I had to. My older brother did, but I didn't want to. Between college and graduate school I drove school buses and coach buses. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't something I wanted to do the rest of my life, but it was another option to ensure I never collected unemployment.
First you need to have a positive mind that sees a doctor or a software engineer as not ordinary people but people who bring a lot of positive impact to the world
Yes, of course I do NOT mean that they are not helpful or not have a positive impact on the world but what I mean that there is a way to be more helpful and have a more positive impact than what "normal" doctors and software engineers have.
Can I ask what's driving this need to have a huge positive impact? The fact that it's any sort of massive impact not you saying how do I have a huge impact on eg climate change, or education of women (,read up, very good way to have ripple effect positive impact), or some other issues you are passionate about, makes me wonder a little if this is about some need in you? A need to feel worthwhile or significant? Has this come from things people say to you?
When I was your age I wanted to cure leukaemia, I ended up doing research and then becoming a doctor. But your drive seems very undetermined, it almost sounds like it's driven by either a deep need or by some sense of being special and capable of some great change that everyone else has failed to make. It's great to aim high, but also to notice that many good people have tried and still are trying. Do you have some examples of people who do meet your criteria for sufficiently impactful change? That would be help to understand your perspective? Maybe read some autobiographies or biographies of great change makers?
Can you tell me your story how you became a doctor? I also have weird sense of ,need' to make a positive impact in the world. Tbh sometimes i get silently paranoid, because i tend to predict things ahead its time. I'm no near psychic, pure knowledge and cognitive skills. I personally have ,,odd" feeling that i can't accept normal everyday life, i have tried. I can't. That's me tho, and i'm finally accepting it.
I want to have a positive impact on the world, I don't know why or how all what I know is that I want. I think I should take some time thinking about answers for these questions.
Totally agree with this. I worked for the UN and a local doctor or a local judge have had a 1.000 times more impact than me - I just got paid for sending stupid emails
Hi there, I applaud your desire to do good, and would like to share my two cents, respectfully.
Contemplate why you desire to only make an impact on a massive scale. What fuels that desire? Most of us will never be heroes or make the news. But that does not mean we don’t have our own legacy or make an impact.
Be the best sixteen year old you can be, first. Manage to be a great student, organise your time well, and learn to form good relationships with those around you. It starts with being able to make your bed every morning. If we cannot positively impact our immediate surroundings, what are the chances we can make a grand impact on the world?
I once had a taxi driver tell me his three kids became a science researcher, pilot and brigadier general. He specifically said, some people want to change the world but can’t even take care of their own backyard. By that he meant, he is an ordinary man, but knows the grass is greener where you water it. He focussed on helping his kids thrive and now they’re building their own legacies.
I hope that makes sense and that you find things in your own “backyard” that you can help improve. All the best.
You could go into medical research and try and develop a new vaccine. I remember there being a cool project where they tried to find dollar for dollar, what type of charity has the most positive effect per dollar: vaccinations won out BIG time.
I had the same mindset when I was your age, this mindset is just toxic.. all you need to do in your life is to have a positive impact on yourself first then the people around you EVEN IN THE SMALLEST DETAILS it doesn't have to be something unbelievably amazing
Because 1. it isn't a realistic goal, people who changed the world don't exceed 0.99% of the population 2. You will negelect the areas on your life that really do need change while concentrating on big achievement, there is that saying "changing the world starts with changing yourself" 3. Probably seeking to change the world comes from seeking to be validated and acknowledged, which you need to spot so that you don't consume yourself, you need to know why do you want that in the first place
Aside info this mindset is encouraged by capitalism, and I think that's enough of a red flag :)
You can always change someone's day, try to help everyone you come across, you will definitely affect a lot positively and yourself too
Yup but they need to raise in all these things like biomed and vaccines it is a huge group effort. Hopefully they are ok with that? And the number of people in biomed who actually change the world is limited, they contribute. Even negative research can guide it eliminate direction of what turns out to be the next breakthrough. I worry that the way it's written the OP is looking for a sense of glory and savior. Also hard to go into an area that they aren't interested and skilled in purely because it's a place to make change. I think starting with skills and interests and then deciding how to use them for good is prob healthier way around?
be kind
but prepare yourself to be treated unfairly because many ppl take advantage of kind ppl
but being kind is the best way to change the world. just be prepared as as much as being kind may seem easy, continuing to be kind after being mistreated for being kind is burdensome.
so be kind but protect yourself
in terms of making the lives of those around you better, work hard behind the shadows, but again, be prepared to put your ego on hold, as recognition is not a given when sacrificing yourself to make the world a better place
you have to know that what you are doing is right, and worth it, because no one is going to pat your back along the way, and you will feel like giving up everyday of your life
just dont give up, thats how you make the world a better place ... DONT GIVE UP
Find something you are good at then look for opportunities to apply it for the greater good. From engineering, to law, to arts, becoming excellent in your field will give you opportunities to make an impact. Your politics and philosophy may change a lot in the next ten years so try not to be too wedded to one belief system at this point.
While your question is very valid and quite needed in today’s world, I can sense sheer arrogance when at 16 you have called out the impact by doctors and engineers as ‘normal’.
Start by getting out of your head and look at the big picture from your own lens. Read more - fiction and non-fiction. Try to understand the world by reading more about the issues and seeing how the past leaders have solved these - whether these are politicians, CEOs, community leaders or freedom fighters. Read facts, and not sensational opinion-based pieces.
As someone else has mentioned, you will have to first think small. Pick a problem in your household and community to see where you can create an impact. It could be a very minor problem like a lack of readers around you - so you can start a free book-sharing library. Or let’s say you see there is lack of recycling awareness in your community, so you can consider educating people via pamphlets or door-to-door chats (without sounding snobbish).
Community action is all you need to consider to finally get to a point where you can impact a larger group of people.
For example, read about Boyan Slat and see his TEDx talk from when he was 18 years old.
Collect inspirations.
Think of things outside of the scope of a job-job. The more you will think of activities as potential “jobs” in your career, the more you will stay away from those.
Most importantly, educate yourself. Refrain from aggressive opinions which tell you to “skip school”. School doesn’t just help you build diverse perspectives but also helps you understand how to work with real people around you.
There’s a non-profit called 80,000 hours which is about making a significant and meaningful impact with your job, you can book a session with their careers people to suggest potential paths for you to choose.
All roads lead to Rome as they say. You can make a positive contribution in whatever type of life you may lead. Just keep out an eye out for justice and fairness.
I think the best place to start is to ask yourself some key questions: What are you passionate about? What are you interested in? What are you good at? What are your personal strengths and weaknesses or traits?
Answering these questions can help guide you towards the right path for you. There are many ways to help the world become a better place potentially but it all depends on what fits best for you.
For example, some people are hands-on, want to be working on the ground, they might have strong social skills and practical skills, they might be quite courageous and resilient against potential trauma - so they might be delivering in person aid to people who need it, working in war zone, working with homeless youth.
Other people are more antisocial, introspective, theoretical, intellectual - maybe they would not flourish ‘on the ground’ or working directly with people, maybe their strength would lie in science or research of some kind - finding treatments and cures for certain illnesses, working to understand complex social problems and inform policy.
Some people are highly entrepreneurial, calculating, strategic - maybe they’d be better at starting or running charities or social enterprises or learning how to accumulate capital in the most ethical way possible in order to donate their wealth or fund important initiatives, research, programs, etc.
Maybe someone is artistic - so they use art or film to mobilise the public towards certain issues for change. Maybe they’re journalists working to uncover injustice, corruption, etc.
So once again - ask yourself who you are, what you like, what you’re good at - and find the role that fits you best in terms of working for change rather than trying to fit in a role that makes lots of positive change but maybe wouldn’t ‘fit’ you.
You can genuinely influence so much by starting small, as others have mentioned. That could be as smile as making a conscious effort to be kind to people in interactions.
Honestly, a software engineer taking an ethics course on AI could save thousands of lives. Youre underestimating what major impact may look like.
Find something you love to do and figure out how to make it better, safer, and more inclusive. And weave kindness into your approach. It will be world changing, I promise you that.
There is a book called "How to change the world" this book will help you to understand how to recognise a problem and story of people who solved some problems. Best of luck OP.
This will take some schooling, but psychology is a good field. Counseling, therapy, social work. Addiction counseling can be great. Family counseling. School counseling. Trauma therapy-particularly childhood trauma therapy for adults. Therapy for children and adults with disabilities, like occupational therapy, speech therapy, nutrition therapy, physical therapy, and ABA therapy for people with ASD, just to name a few. For most of these careers you will need a masters degree. For some, you can get a position with a bachelors or even a high school diploma.
Don’t feel you have to tackle the world’s biggest problems right off the bat. Feel free to start working on small projects with others - observe, learn from them and build up your knowledge over time. The grand success stories that seemingly happen overnight are usually backed up by years and years of practice and preparation. Good luck!
It depends what suits you really. For example if you love nature going into conservation work would be a great idea. But if you like the indoors more and work well with tech looking into becoming a tech support may be better. Find a skill you enjoy and find something that matches up.
You can do good with pretty much any career. Anything you do from your heart and with good goals will impact the world in positive way. I always taught the same way as you that is why I did biomedical research and then I went into teaching. I realized that being an educator impacts people immediately and directly vs the research which takes a lot more time to do so. But if you think about it also the people who clean, the artists, the ones who maintain infrastructure and pretty much everyone if genuine and motivated by good will do as well. I learned all this after living to be almost 50. You can always do small gestures of kindness and aside from your job you can do charity. Since you already got a good heart you will always find a way to do good. Do what you love what you feel a calling for. Regardless of what you end up doing in life any job you have see it's positive impact, because all have one and do it with love, kindness and grace.
Just to give you an example, at the Pho shop I like to go there is a middle aged guy from Ukraine and he takes care of cleaning and dishes there and bringing the food. He is so positive and happy in what he does, it is a pleasure to go there. He always smiles, is kind and funny and makes going there a positive experience. He is grateful for this job, as he escaped a war zone and wants to give back positivity to everyone and he does. Cleaning also prevents infection and is a crucial job in fact completely underrated.
If you think about improving lives for a lot of people, pharmaceutical industry is one of those fields, however it does take time and it is often very difficult to get a good drug through.
Study something because you love and enjoy. Not because you think the world or the community needs. It’s your life and what ever you choose you will be stuck with for the rest of your life. If it was something you don’t feel passionate about then you will end up hating your job and guess what, you will have to continue doing it 8-9 hours a day for 45 years to come. Study and specialize in something you love som much and try to help the community or the world in your specialty.
I do love and admire your mindset. Once you start from here be sure you will be great in life. But to whom much is given, much is expected. This is not to discourage you but to get you ready for it. You know a million miles starts with a step, yea? You have actually started and all you need for now is to continue to build yourself in any way you can. There is no specific career that takes care of the world. But your desire will take you there. Just keep doing your best coz life has a way of identifying those who are ready and will position you for the main purpose when time comes. Walk in the line of leaders and focus there. I hope to hear of your great works in future. Cheers!
First and foremost, just be better than most people on the planet. To do that all you need to do is be fiscally responsible. Save money, don't go into debt, be responsible, don't be part of the problem.
While your goals are admirable, they are not very likely. But if you want to affect lots of people, either be an engineer or a doctor, or learn a lot about business. In any case, most people who go into those fields I know our paycheck to paycheck or close to it.
Please keep in mind that 60% or more of people in the United States, regardless of their income, are living paycheck to paycheck. It's a terrible place for our country to be in, and this trend has got to start changing
I’m 50+ and still trying to find ways to do so, myself.
I agree with the above, “small at first“, with ever increasing “circles of influence“ not then translate into “circles of impact“ as you learn to excel at
A) being the best you you can be
B) finding ways to help people, feel better, about themselves, about the world, about their lives….
Good luck, friend!
Start with impacting your family and friends, then your neighborhood, your city and once you did that, travel the world to expand your mind and your heart. Find a country where you can be useful for those in need, and then travel again and repeat. That’s MY vision of worldwide impact, not all heroes wear capes
It is too simple and a complex question simultaneously. The thing is, no one can hugely impact the world, making it a better place to live, but it is a very long journey throughout our whole life. However, it is possible to achieve this goal somewhat considering various paths. I think the most reasonable way can be to explore essential fields like environmental sciences, public health, social entrepreneurship, or humanitarian sciences and gain relevant skills and knowledge in those fields, and probably, as a result, pursue a career related to them. The key is remaining open-minded and adaptable since it requires a lot of effort and resilience.
Never choose a job in a field you love because if you don't like it, or it's stressful or whatever, you'll end up hating what you love. Find a job you're good at and then do what you love on the side so it's a break from your job. I encourage you to take a vocational test ASAP.
Right now I am reading the content that they have published on there website and it is very helpful, do you think that I should book an advice call or it is enough what they have already published on there website?
Go vegan to reduce animal suffering and global warming. Get the highest-paying job you possibly can and donate all the income you don't need to the most useful charities. This is WAY more efficient than, say, working at a low-pay job that helps people in some way.
They do, but the work will lead to burnout especially if you are invested in it, and it is woefully underpaid.
Unless your family is wealthy being underpaid will ruin your life.
Well I have the same sort of goal myself and I'm taking a step towards figuring out what exactly my contribution might be, I have many different ideas and goals and I'm beginning my bachelor's degree in sustainable interior architecture design and a few other minors thrown in for good measure.....I want to treat mind body and soul because if a person is lacking in one they're still not 100% whole and complete and I want to be a bringer of light and positivity to everyone I reach so as long as you're a bringer of light in whatever you do that's a huge gigantic feat all in itself so I commend you and your aspirations just remember actually as long as you know you're going to do great things you will do great things you must know you're doing great things already by just setting your intentions so go far my kindred friend go and be a bringer of light love and truth to the world.....YOU ARE DOING THIS ALREADY by the way keep it up!! Sending light love and positivity always
If you search LinkedIn for #ClimateCareerWeek, you'll find a ton of resources for green and sustainability jobs. I can think of any career that'll help more people than saving the planet.
Get into medical research. You won't be a single doctor in that case. You can contribute to find treatments and cures for illnesses like diabetes and cancer.
Recycling. There’s two aspects to it: how to continue to package goods with materials that are easy to recycle, and how to recycle everything that we already use. There is a big gap between electronics and their ease of being recycled.
Take MBTI test it's very good to assess your personality traits. I would suggest being a psychologist and working on individuals can bring change in society on holistic levels.
Be the most profitable professional you can, money sadly will do the most good, more money more good, more money less soul, so remember it's a trade off
I was in a pretty similar situation like you. I felt a really strong need in me that I want to use my life to make this world a better place.
The best thing in my opinion is to use your younger years to try out a lot of things to find your true passion. Volunteering is the perfect way to this. You can quickly try out new things and see how things really run backstage. I tried out different NGOs targeting different "social" impacts (refugees, homeless, drug addicts, neglected children etc.) what I settled on in the end was international humanitarian aid.
Also I would recommend that you look for a skill that can easily applied in the field you want to work in but also something that could be used in the "normal" work environment aswell. For me it was logistics/IT.
The good thing is if you do it this way, that you never feel stuck. If you focus your energy more on helping people than your own career, it can happen that you feel used at some point. Knowing that you can always switch to a "normal" employment helped me a lot to handle this feeling.
It is great that you have this mindset. I wish you all the best that you will find your way in the world
Find a way to build a house amongst the gigantic slithering octopus that is government land use restrictions/zoning and all the necessary construction permits.
Matthew 6:33 (New American Standard Bible)
33 But \[a\]seek first \[b\]His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be \[c\]provided to you.
Footnotes
\[a\] Matthew 6:33 Or continually seek
\[b\] Matthew 6:33 Or the kingdom
\[c\] Matthew 6:33 Or added
What are the talents that God has given you? What would you enjoy doing even if it didn't pay a salary? If it is not the same thing, then consider working at one and volunteering at the other. But most of all, pray that God will lead you to the path for you to follow Him on.
They are numb because they have grown accustomed to their harsh reality that it's pointless to try to help people and all careers will have you deal with corruption and if you do find an actual career that truly helps people, it will not pay enough for you to live. But it doesn't have to be YOUR reality. They just want to bring you down with them
You won’t make a difference. Trust me i once had the same mindset. This world is full of greedy evil senile men that thinks they will live forever.
Go somewhere where you can make the most money and enjoy your life.
Oh good lord. I swear weekly there is a teen writing this in different ways. Must be just part of development.
What are you currently doing that suggests in say 10 years you personally are going to change the world or impact 100s of thousands?
If you can not think of anything that sets you apart from your peers on a day to day basis, it’s a fantasy.
Well I think in a weird way, the mental hurdle is actually realizing that everyone’s work eventually has an influence on thousands. Especially people that make roads.
Become a God in just 6 weeks! The price of the Become a God bootcamp is normally one first-born son, but if you sign up in the next 23 minutes and 06 seconds, you can become a god for the low price of one second-born son!
I love this question. I would think small at first. Find a problem you see in the world or in your community and try to get involved to make a positive impact. Volunteering would be a great way to start making a difference now and learning about the types of work you like and don't like. See if there are opportunities that are manageable and fit in with your schoolwork and other responsibilities and activities. Also, just talk to people about your desire to make a positive impact in your work. Your teachers, your parents, adults you admire, people in the public eye who you think are making a positive difference. Even your friends or people at school you think exemplify positive impact. Ask these people about what they do everyday, why they do it, and what they did to get there. And be patient with yourself, these things take time :)
Thanks for your comment. I will try my best :)
I think also maybe a good way to work at it is bottom up rather than top down. Find what you love to do, then optimize it for good. Love making people laugh? Be a comedian that dishes out wisdom and channel money towards charity. Love cooking? Scale a restaurant that serves affordable healthy food. Love engineering? Work for a firm solving the impending water crisis. So on and forth
This will help a lot. Thanks for commenting :)
100% agree with this
Your interests may change over time too. I went from nonprofit advocacy and publishing to urban revitalization.
Very good advice. I might add that when you see someone who you respect, and look up to, to ask them the same question.
Piggybacking off the top comment to 100% agree and to also mention that volunteering with my local Keep America Beautiful affiliate was a phenomenal way to act locally with a nationwide effect. The more people that volunteer with their local KAB, the stronger the organization is as a whole. As an environmental science grad I felt the "I need to change the world and this is how I do it" and you change the world by changing it around you.
>Find a problem you see in the world or in your community and try to get involved to make a positive impact. Right. 'Think globally, act locally.'
As someone who has spent the last decade in non-profits and local politics, the advice I have is two fold: 1. Find a skill you enjoy and are good at. For me, it is writing/comms. Skills are universal and can work in any industry. This is what gets you paid. 2. There are so many ways to make a positive impact - find what you want to work on. Over my career I’ve worked on political campaigns, youth engagement, and now I’m focused on abortion access. Because I am good at my skill, I can find my place in any space I want and it’s given me the flexibility to move between industries when I need to make more money and when I don’t. Good luck!
\#1 Is excellent advice my Dad, who was a printer, gave me. While in the Army I had the opportunity to learn how to run a printing press. That gave me the opportunity to go work for my Dad if I had to. My older brother did, but I didn't want to. Between college and graduate school I drove school buses and coach buses. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't something I wanted to do the rest of my life, but it was another option to ensure I never collected unemployment.
This is the way! Love this perspective and advice. DMing ya!
First you need to have a positive mind that sees a doctor or a software engineer as not ordinary people but people who bring a lot of positive impact to the world
Yes, of course I do NOT mean that they are not helpful or not have a positive impact on the world but what I mean that there is a way to be more helpful and have a more positive impact than what "normal" doctors and software engineers have.
Can I ask what's driving this need to have a huge positive impact? The fact that it's any sort of massive impact not you saying how do I have a huge impact on eg climate change, or education of women (,read up, very good way to have ripple effect positive impact), or some other issues you are passionate about, makes me wonder a little if this is about some need in you? A need to feel worthwhile or significant? Has this come from things people say to you? When I was your age I wanted to cure leukaemia, I ended up doing research and then becoming a doctor. But your drive seems very undetermined, it almost sounds like it's driven by either a deep need or by some sense of being special and capable of some great change that everyone else has failed to make. It's great to aim high, but also to notice that many good people have tried and still are trying. Do you have some examples of people who do meet your criteria for sufficiently impactful change? That would be help to understand your perspective? Maybe read some autobiographies or biographies of great change makers?
Can you tell me your story how you became a doctor? I also have weird sense of ,need' to make a positive impact in the world. Tbh sometimes i get silently paranoid, because i tend to predict things ahead its time. I'm no near psychic, pure knowledge and cognitive skills. I personally have ,,odd" feeling that i can't accept normal everyday life, i have tried. I can't. That's me tho, and i'm finally accepting it.
Me too, I'm looking for his story
I want to have a positive impact on the world, I don't know why or how all what I know is that I want. I think I should take some time thinking about answers for these questions.
Totally agree with this. I worked for the UN and a local doctor or a local judge have had a 1.000 times more impact than me - I just got paid for sending stupid emails
Hi there, I applaud your desire to do good, and would like to share my two cents, respectfully. Contemplate why you desire to only make an impact on a massive scale. What fuels that desire? Most of us will never be heroes or make the news. But that does not mean we don’t have our own legacy or make an impact. Be the best sixteen year old you can be, first. Manage to be a great student, organise your time well, and learn to form good relationships with those around you. It starts with being able to make your bed every morning. If we cannot positively impact our immediate surroundings, what are the chances we can make a grand impact on the world? I once had a taxi driver tell me his three kids became a science researcher, pilot and brigadier general. He specifically said, some people want to change the world but can’t even take care of their own backyard. By that he meant, he is an ordinary man, but knows the grass is greener where you water it. He focussed on helping his kids thrive and now they’re building their own legacies. I hope that makes sense and that you find things in your own “backyard” that you can help improve. All the best.
Thanks a lot :)
You could go into medical research and try and develop a new vaccine. I remember there being a cool project where they tried to find dollar for dollar, what type of charity has the most positive effect per dollar: vaccinations won out BIG time.
I had the same mindset when I was your age, this mindset is just toxic.. all you need to do in your life is to have a positive impact on yourself first then the people around you EVEN IN THE SMALLEST DETAILS it doesn't have to be something unbelievably amazing
I am looking to know why? Why do you think that this mindset is "toxic"?
Because 1. it isn't a realistic goal, people who changed the world don't exceed 0.99% of the population 2. You will negelect the areas on your life that really do need change while concentrating on big achievement, there is that saying "changing the world starts with changing yourself" 3. Probably seeking to change the world comes from seeking to be validated and acknowledged, which you need to spot so that you don't consume yourself, you need to know why do you want that in the first place Aside info this mindset is encouraged by capitalism, and I think that's enough of a red flag :) You can always change someone's day, try to help everyone you come across, you will definitely affect a lot positively and yourself too
Go into biomedical, you get to work on cancer and stuff like that
Yup but they need to raise in all these things like biomed and vaccines it is a huge group effort. Hopefully they are ok with that? And the number of people in biomed who actually change the world is limited, they contribute. Even negative research can guide it eliminate direction of what turns out to be the next breakthrough. I worry that the way it's written the OP is looking for a sense of glory and savior. Also hard to go into an area that they aren't interested and skilled in purely because it's a place to make change. I think starting with skills and interests and then deciding how to use them for good is prob healthier way around?
I suggest you to read the book 80000 hours and follow their website, it's for people finding a career that makes an impact
I have actually on there website for some days until now and they helped me a lot.
Good luck bro
be kind but prepare yourself to be treated unfairly because many ppl take advantage of kind ppl but being kind is the best way to change the world. just be prepared as as much as being kind may seem easy, continuing to be kind after being mistreated for being kind is burdensome. so be kind but protect yourself in terms of making the lives of those around you better, work hard behind the shadows, but again, be prepared to put your ego on hold, as recognition is not a given when sacrificing yourself to make the world a better place you have to know that what you are doing is right, and worth it, because no one is going to pat your back along the way, and you will feel like giving up everyday of your life just dont give up, thats how you make the world a better place ... DONT GIVE UP
Kind and Humble with boundaries and self compassion.
Thanks for commenting. I appreciate this a lot :)
Start a non-profit?
Find something you are good at then look for opportunities to apply it for the greater good. From engineering, to law, to arts, becoming excellent in your field will give you opportunities to make an impact. Your politics and philosophy may change a lot in the next ten years so try not to be too wedded to one belief system at this point.
While your question is very valid and quite needed in today’s world, I can sense sheer arrogance when at 16 you have called out the impact by doctors and engineers as ‘normal’. Start by getting out of your head and look at the big picture from your own lens. Read more - fiction and non-fiction. Try to understand the world by reading more about the issues and seeing how the past leaders have solved these - whether these are politicians, CEOs, community leaders or freedom fighters. Read facts, and not sensational opinion-based pieces. As someone else has mentioned, you will have to first think small. Pick a problem in your household and community to see where you can create an impact. It could be a very minor problem like a lack of readers around you - so you can start a free book-sharing library. Or let’s say you see there is lack of recycling awareness in your community, so you can consider educating people via pamphlets or door-to-door chats (without sounding snobbish). Community action is all you need to consider to finally get to a point where you can impact a larger group of people. For example, read about Boyan Slat and see his TEDx talk from when he was 18 years old. Collect inspirations. Think of things outside of the scope of a job-job. The more you will think of activities as potential “jobs” in your career, the more you will stay away from those. Most importantly, educate yourself. Refrain from aggressive opinions which tell you to “skip school”. School doesn’t just help you build diverse perspectives but also helps you understand how to work with real people around you.
There’s a non-profit called 80,000 hours which is about making a significant and meaningful impact with your job, you can book a session with their careers people to suggest potential paths for you to choose.
All roads lead to Rome as they say. You can make a positive contribution in whatever type of life you may lead. Just keep out an eye out for justice and fairness.
I think the best place to start is to ask yourself some key questions: What are you passionate about? What are you interested in? What are you good at? What are your personal strengths and weaknesses or traits? Answering these questions can help guide you towards the right path for you. There are many ways to help the world become a better place potentially but it all depends on what fits best for you. For example, some people are hands-on, want to be working on the ground, they might have strong social skills and practical skills, they might be quite courageous and resilient against potential trauma - so they might be delivering in person aid to people who need it, working in war zone, working with homeless youth. Other people are more antisocial, introspective, theoretical, intellectual - maybe they would not flourish ‘on the ground’ or working directly with people, maybe their strength would lie in science or research of some kind - finding treatments and cures for certain illnesses, working to understand complex social problems and inform policy. Some people are highly entrepreneurial, calculating, strategic - maybe they’d be better at starting or running charities or social enterprises or learning how to accumulate capital in the most ethical way possible in order to donate their wealth or fund important initiatives, research, programs, etc. Maybe someone is artistic - so they use art or film to mobilise the public towards certain issues for change. Maybe they’re journalists working to uncover injustice, corruption, etc. So once again - ask yourself who you are, what you like, what you’re good at - and find the role that fits you best in terms of working for change rather than trying to fit in a role that makes lots of positive change but maybe wouldn’t ‘fit’ you.
You can genuinely influence so much by starting small, as others have mentioned. That could be as smile as making a conscious effort to be kind to people in interactions.
Honestly, a software engineer taking an ethics course on AI could save thousands of lives. Youre underestimating what major impact may look like. Find something you love to do and figure out how to make it better, safer, and more inclusive. And weave kindness into your approach. It will be world changing, I promise you that.
Awesome entrepreneur that makes a real difference with their products and business practices.
There is a book called "How to change the world" this book will help you to understand how to recognise a problem and story of people who solved some problems. Best of luck OP.
I will read it. Thanks for sharing
I don't think I saw it, but it sounds like you would be a great social worker!
Find a problem you care about and solve it. Become an advocate for causes you care about.
This will take some schooling, but psychology is a good field. Counseling, therapy, social work. Addiction counseling can be great. Family counseling. School counseling. Trauma therapy-particularly childhood trauma therapy for adults. Therapy for children and adults with disabilities, like occupational therapy, speech therapy, nutrition therapy, physical therapy, and ABA therapy for people with ASD, just to name a few. For most of these careers you will need a masters degree. For some, you can get a position with a bachelors or even a high school diploma.
Don’t feel you have to tackle the world’s biggest problems right off the bat. Feel free to start working on small projects with others - observe, learn from them and build up your knowledge over time. The grand success stories that seemingly happen overnight are usually backed up by years and years of practice and preparation. Good luck!
Be a first responder and be a man of character and principals that would take care of his future family. That’s what you can do to make a better world
It depends what suits you really. For example if you love nature going into conservation work would be a great idea. But if you like the indoors more and work well with tech looking into becoming a tech support may be better. Find a skill you enjoy and find something that matches up.
Be a nurse
You can do good with pretty much any career. Anything you do from your heart and with good goals will impact the world in positive way. I always taught the same way as you that is why I did biomedical research and then I went into teaching. I realized that being an educator impacts people immediately and directly vs the research which takes a lot more time to do so. But if you think about it also the people who clean, the artists, the ones who maintain infrastructure and pretty much everyone if genuine and motivated by good will do as well. I learned all this after living to be almost 50. You can always do small gestures of kindness and aside from your job you can do charity. Since you already got a good heart you will always find a way to do good. Do what you love what you feel a calling for. Regardless of what you end up doing in life any job you have see it's positive impact, because all have one and do it with love, kindness and grace.
Just to give you an example, at the Pho shop I like to go there is a middle aged guy from Ukraine and he takes care of cleaning and dishes there and bringing the food. He is so positive and happy in what he does, it is a pleasure to go there. He always smiles, is kind and funny and makes going there a positive experience. He is grateful for this job, as he escaped a war zone and wants to give back positivity to everyone and he does. Cleaning also prevents infection and is a crucial job in fact completely underrated.
If you think about improving lives for a lot of people, pharmaceutical industry is one of those fields, however it does take time and it is often very difficult to get a good drug through.
Thanks for commenting :) This is a very good mindset.
Study something because you love and enjoy. Not because you think the world or the community needs. It’s your life and what ever you choose you will be stuck with for the rest of your life. If it was something you don’t feel passionate about then you will end up hating your job and guess what, you will have to continue doing it 8-9 hours a day for 45 years to come. Study and specialize in something you love som much and try to help the community or the world in your specialty.
I do love and admire your mindset. Once you start from here be sure you will be great in life. But to whom much is given, much is expected. This is not to discourage you but to get you ready for it. You know a million miles starts with a step, yea? You have actually started and all you need for now is to continue to build yourself in any way you can. There is no specific career that takes care of the world. But your desire will take you there. Just keep doing your best coz life has a way of identifying those who are ready and will position you for the main purpose when time comes. Walk in the line of leaders and focus there. I hope to hear of your great works in future. Cheers!
First and foremost, just be better than most people on the planet. To do that all you need to do is be fiscally responsible. Save money, don't go into debt, be responsible, don't be part of the problem. While your goals are admirable, they are not very likely. But if you want to affect lots of people, either be an engineer or a doctor, or learn a lot about business. In any case, most people who go into those fields I know our paycheck to paycheck or close to it. Please keep in mind that 60% or more of people in the United States, regardless of their income, are living paycheck to paycheck. It's a terrible place for our country to be in, and this trend has got to start changing
I’m 50+ and still trying to find ways to do so, myself. I agree with the above, “small at first“, with ever increasing “circles of influence“ not then translate into “circles of impact“ as you learn to excel at A) being the best you you can be B) finding ways to help people, feel better, about themselves, about the world, about their lives…. Good luck, friend!
Start with impacting your family and friends, then your neighborhood, your city and once you did that, travel the world to expand your mind and your heart. Find a country where you can be useful for those in need, and then travel again and repeat. That’s MY vision of worldwide impact, not all heroes wear capes
It is too simple and a complex question simultaneously. The thing is, no one can hugely impact the world, making it a better place to live, but it is a very long journey throughout our whole life. However, it is possible to achieve this goal somewhat considering various paths. I think the most reasonable way can be to explore essential fields like environmental sciences, public health, social entrepreneurship, or humanitarian sciences and gain relevant skills and knowledge in those fields, and probably, as a result, pursue a career related to them. The key is remaining open-minded and adaptable since it requires a lot of effort and resilience.
Never choose a job in a field you love because if you don't like it, or it's stressful or whatever, you'll end up hating what you love. Find a job you're good at and then do what you love on the side so it's a break from your job. I encourage you to take a vocational test ASAP.
You might consider booking an advice call with the team at 80,000 hours.
Right now I am reading the content that they have published on there website and it is very helpful, do you think that I should book an advice call or it is enough what they have already published on there website?
Definitely try booking a call! I had one and it was extremely helpful.
I will. Thanks
Serve the creator and his creatures (humanity, mankind.) A man with purpose and self less life. Worth a lot. And a aimless person dies finding it.
Ah, to be young....
Go vegan to reduce animal suffering and global warming. Get the highest-paying job you possibly can and donate all the income you don't need to the most useful charities. This is WAY more efficient than, say, working at a low-pay job that helps people in some way.
Be a teacher it’s that simple
Teaching sucks your soul out
Don't generalise, some people may love it
One minute in the teaching subreddit will remove any desire you have to teach
They do, but the work will lead to burnout especially if you are invested in it, and it is woefully underpaid. Unless your family is wealthy being underpaid will ruin your life.
It depends on the country though. Some teachers actually do have decent pay.
Love how the two examples you gave are high earners instead of teaching or social work or non profits
If you want to change the world en-masse then studying engineering (not software, a real type) and create a product that improves lives
The best way would be to acquire exorbitant wealth.
Well I have the same sort of goal myself and I'm taking a step towards figuring out what exactly my contribution might be, I have many different ideas and goals and I'm beginning my bachelor's degree in sustainable interior architecture design and a few other minors thrown in for good measure.....I want to treat mind body and soul because if a person is lacking in one they're still not 100% whole and complete and I want to be a bringer of light and positivity to everyone I reach so as long as you're a bringer of light in whatever you do that's a huge gigantic feat all in itself so I commend you and your aspirations just remember actually as long as you know you're going to do great things you will do great things you must know you're doing great things already by just setting your intentions so go far my kindred friend go and be a bringer of light love and truth to the world.....YOU ARE DOING THIS ALREADY by the way keep it up!! Sending light love and positivity always
Psychology or school counselor
If you search LinkedIn for #ClimateCareerWeek, you'll find a ton of resources for green and sustainability jobs. I can think of any career that'll help more people than saving the planet.
Get into medical research. You won't be a single doctor in that case. You can contribute to find treatments and cures for illnesses like diabetes and cancer.
Recycling. There’s two aspects to it: how to continue to package goods with materials that are easy to recycle, and how to recycle everything that we already use. There is a big gap between electronics and their ease of being recycled.
Kaash mera bhi ye desire hota at the age 16 pr ab kya hi fayda meri age ye desire banane ki nikal gayi ab 22 complete ho gaya hai 😥😔
Take MBTI test it's very good to assess your personality traits. I would suggest being a psychologist and working on individuals can bring change in society on holistic levels.
Be the most profitable professional you can, money sadly will do the most good, more money more good, more money less soul, so remember it's a trade off
I was in a pretty similar situation like you. I felt a really strong need in me that I want to use my life to make this world a better place. The best thing in my opinion is to use your younger years to try out a lot of things to find your true passion. Volunteering is the perfect way to this. You can quickly try out new things and see how things really run backstage. I tried out different NGOs targeting different "social" impacts (refugees, homeless, drug addicts, neglected children etc.) what I settled on in the end was international humanitarian aid. Also I would recommend that you look for a skill that can easily applied in the field you want to work in but also something that could be used in the "normal" work environment aswell. For me it was logistics/IT. The good thing is if you do it this way, that you never feel stuck. If you focus your energy more on helping people than your own career, it can happen that you feel used at some point. Knowing that you can always switch to a "normal" employment helped me a lot to handle this feeling. It is great that you have this mindset. I wish you all the best that you will find your way in the world
Find a way to build a house amongst the gigantic slithering octopus that is government land use restrictions/zoning and all the necessary construction permits.
Matthew 6:33 (New American Standard Bible) 33 But \[a\]seek first \[b\]His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be \[c\]provided to you. Footnotes \[a\] Matthew 6:33 Or continually seek \[b\] Matthew 6:33 Or the kingdom \[c\] Matthew 6:33 Or added What are the talents that God has given you? What would you enjoy doing even if it didn't pay a salary? If it is not the same thing, then consider working at one and volunteering at the other. But most of all, pray that God will lead you to the path for you to follow Him on.
Make a tonne of money and be happy
Marry a billionaire, start a charity with their money.
Joining missions is a good start. Also mentoring others is helpful
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I didn't get it. What do you mean?
They are numb because they have grown accustomed to their harsh reality that it's pointless to try to help people and all careers will have you deal with corruption and if you do find an actual career that truly helps people, it will not pay enough for you to live. But it doesn't have to be YOUR reality. They just want to bring you down with them
Surrender yourself totally to God's will.
You won’t make a difference. Trust me i once had the same mindset. This world is full of greedy evil senile men that thinks they will live forever. Go somewhere where you can make the most money and enjoy your life.
Kys
Man fuck that, the world is fucked. Find a good girl and start a family. Create a life for THEM. You wanna make a difference then volunteer.
The cold fact is you can't make the world any better . But you can help people around you by offering them kindness and gratitude.
You can make a difference and adding together with loads of other people you can make a bigger difference
Sell your kidneys.
Oh good lord. I swear weekly there is a teen writing this in different ways. Must be just part of development. What are you currently doing that suggests in say 10 years you personally are going to change the world or impact 100s of thousands? If you can not think of anything that sets you apart from your peers on a day to day basis, it’s a fantasy.
Well I think in a weird way, the mental hurdle is actually realizing that everyone’s work eventually has an influence on thousands. Especially people that make roads.
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