There seems to be one type of work that truly matter: Work that enables people. Most work can be fitted into this category, such as teaching, maintenance (of things that enable), parenting, and reducing child mortality, poverty, x-risk, etc.
Of course, there are some forms of work that enable people much more than others, but here I'll go over a few examples of what it means to "enable people":
Teaching- by communicating knowledge on how to do something, you are enabling people to do that thing in the most literal sense.
Maintenance- many institutions and such things already enable people massively. being one of the people who help maintain these keep people enabled.
Parenting- the most personal (and allegedly fulfilling) way to enable a person. You're taking them from near-zero all the way to a human who can live, experience, and even go on to enable others as well.
Reducing child mortality- has similar benefits to parenting, minus the personal touch that makes it fulfilling, but with exponentially more impact.
Reducing poverty- not being stuck in the poverty cycle and not living to survive enables you to do the tings you want, and go on to enable more people.
Reducing x-risk- it's probably better if we're not all dead, right?!
Operations- this job is explicitly doing things that help enable people to do the work they're doing.
Research- you can contribute to finding ways to help enable people in new or more efficient ways.
I assume most of the audience here is already settled in a career however, so here are some ways you can help enable people currently:
Being kind- the world is already hard enough as it is, you don't need to contribute to that. Depression and suicide are issues enough in them selves, but also double as disablers. Gasp!
Financially supporting a partner/dependent- Personally I credit my parents for doing this for me throughout my high school experience instead of throwing me straight into a job. If I hadn't had ample free time to consider my life and take risks through those years, I would have never stumbled upon LessWrong, and likely would have never committed myself to attempting to be more effective in enabling people throughout my career.
Earning to give- of course this is a staple here for a reason. If you are able to save or significantly improve a life, it enables that person.
Being encouraging- social fear is a big factor on why people don't do things. If you can support people in whatever they may be doing, it would significantly boost their chances of getting that thing done.
Communicating ideas- write on LessWrong! Talk to people! Even if the ideas you share might not be enabling in themselves, perhaps they can indirectly enable others!
This is just a smorgasbord of ideas for those who haven't considered them, but definitely refer to the ITN framework if you're trying to weigh these ideas against each other.
If you have any additional ways to enable people that I may have not listed, I would love to hear them :)
There seems to be one type of work that truly matter: Work that enables people. Most work can be fitted into this category, such as teaching, maintenance (of things that enable), parenting, and reducing child mortality, poverty, x-risk, etc.
Of course, there are some forms of work that enable people much more than others, but here I'll go over a few examples of what it means to "enable people":
I assume most of the audience here is already settled in a career however, so here are some ways you can help enable people currently:
This is just a smorgasbord of ideas for those who haven't considered them, but definitely refer to the ITN framework if you're trying to weigh these ideas against each other.
If you have any additional ways to enable people that I may have not listed, I would love to hear them :)