As I finish the Going for Growth program and work on my business plan, the course on Effective Altruism (EA) has been very helpful. It’s given me new ways to think about my business and my role in advocating for women in tech. Here’s how it has made a difference.
Using Effective Altruism in My Business Plan
In business, you often have to make choices about where to put your time and money. You want to solve big problems, but you also need to make sure you can actually make progress. The Importance, Tractability, and Neglectedness (ITN) framework that I learned in the EA course has been very useful for this.
For example, I want to help women in tech, but I’ve realized there are already many programs working on certain issues. Using the neglectedness part of the ITN framework, I’ve identified areas like maternity leave impact on career for women that need more attention. This allows me to focus on solving problems that are important and where my efforts can make a real difference.
Making Decisions: Risk vs. Certainty
One of the most interesting parts of the EA course was a discussion about risk. We talked about a situation where you can save 400 lives for sure or try to save 500 lives with a 90% chance but risk saving no one. This made me think about business decisions—sometimes I can choose a safer option, and other times, it’s better to take a risk for a bigger reward.
In my business plan, I face a similar choice: do I start small and grow slowly, or take a risk and try to grow faster? The EA course has helped me better understand when it’s smart to take a risk and when it’s better to play it safe.
Using QALYs for Social Impact
The concept of Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) is usually used in healthcare to measure how treatments improve life. But I realized it can also be used to think about how my work in women in tech advocacy can improve lives.
For example, helping women in tech with mentorship and career growth may not save lives in the traditional sense, but it can greatly improve their quality of life and future opportunities specially after maternity leave. Using QALYs has helped me see how I can make a real impact in the lives of the women I want to support.
Conclusion: Making Smart Choices for Growth
The Effective Altruism course has taught me how to make better decisions, both in business and in my work supporting women in tech. By using tools like the ITN framework and QALYs, I can make sure that the choices I make have a positive and lasting impact.
As I continue with the Going for Growth program, these ideas will help me build a stronger business and advocate for women in tech in a way that truly makes a difference.