Most realistic way to "make a difference"

In My Humble Opinion
1

Lots of people talk about how they want to “make a difference in the world,” but few think concretely about how to do it, besides vague idealistic generalities. Let’s figure out the best way to really do it.

To start with, let’s assume that you’re a person of above-average intelligence, but no genius. You have no problem getting into a top-tier school, but you’re unlikely to win a Nobel, so basic research is not the obvious way to change the world. Similarly, your social skills are good enough that you’ll be socially welcome in any crowd, but you don’t have natural-politician level charisma.

For this thread, “making a difference” is quantified as (amount of change in well-being) x (number of people), and of course it can be positive or negative. The reference point is whatever would have happened if you hadn’t existed. So, if you invent cold fusion, say, you get credit for discovering it three months before a competing group of researchers would have discovered it, but you don’t get credit for all the effects that cold fusion has on people’s lives thereafter. Similarly, if you get elected President, you only get credit for the political decisions that you would have made differently than whoever would be President in your stead.

For our above-average but unspectacular character, I see two big ways of making a difference. For good, he could apply himself in business (where both charisma and intelligence are needed), amass as much money as he can, and donate it to a carefully researched, highly effective charity (such as microfinance in the poorest countries, where the money would go farthest).

For evil, successfully conduct a terrorist attack in a first-world country. The number of casualties may not be great, but the knock-on effects of paranoia in a national population would make the effective impact huge.

Anyone have better ideas?

2

I would obtain a graduate degree in some field related to social welfare apply it in some manner which directly involves the interdiction of child abuse and neglect, and I would really,* really* throw myself into it. It would seem to me that a hundred years from now the multiplicative effects of such an action would be substantial.

3

Why wouldn’t doing just the bolded part count as making a difference? Why would he need to do the unbolded part to make a difference?

4

Because unless you are going to be a Microsoft and set standards for an entire industry, whatever you’re doing would have been done anyway, a tiny bit later or a tiny bit worse by someone else. That’s the whole point of competitive markets - someone else is always a step behind you ready to eat your lunch.

Yes, simply being successful in the marketplace makes a difference in the world, and most people do more good in their career than in their charitable donations. But it’s not the kind of earth-shattering greatest-good-for-greatest-number good that we’re looking for here.

Can you come up with a reliable path in business that would not simply be taken up by someone else if you hadn’t been there? Climbing to the top of a monopoly and then breaking it up (a la Inception) it might be an example of serious, systemic change, but it’s not exactly easy or guaranteed.

5

Inventors make the biggest difference in the lives of the most people and AFAIK, most have never won a Nobel.

6

Another possibility: Get any job with a very light/flexible schedule and then dedicate your free time to being a mentor to at-risk young people from poor families or providing support to poor teenage moms, etc.
The effects you could have over a lifetime of interacting with various young people who would have otherwise had nothing but despair and dysfunction to guide them could be substantial. If you could inspire even just some of them to a path of being positive, productive people the ripple effect would be huge.

7

Join the Army of course.

8

I tend to favor having a bigger impact on fewer lives. Being a really awesome foster parent to a lot of kids–but not so many you lose track of them–would make a huge difference in the lives of each of those kids.

9

I always felt like being a teacher offers you the best “bang for your buck” when it comes to making an impact. During their career, teachers have the opportunity to make a deep impact on dozens of lives and touch thousands. We had a thread a while back about “what profession has had the greatest impact in your life” and it was a toss-up between teachers and doctors.

10

I’ve heard very good things about wringing the most good out of a dollar via microlending sites such as Kiva, and things like the Heifer Project. Would like very much to kick a little money into one or the other of those, once I dig myself out of my own financial nadir.