TED TALK - Want To Make a Difference? Don't Work For a Charity!

A Dose of Inspiration To Get Your Day Going

By Valerie Nash, Associate Partner & Mentorship Coach, Lighthouse International

I came across this inspiring TED talk today and felt I had to share it.

William MacAskill knew during his student years that he wanted his life to be meaningful - he wanted to work in an area where he could make a significant difference to some of the world’s tragic problems and dis-ease.

He spoke to friends and family, university career guidance counsellors and exhausted online resources, in an attempt to find the relevant career choices that would enable him to realise his personal vision - a life of service. Again and again, he was advised to work for charities.

He did, however, feel strongly that he needed to make an evidence-based decision. Four years on, his research has culminated in a “framework" that can now help other young people, (who decide to live a life of service) discover an appropriate career choice.

He says that to really and truly make a difference during our lifetimes, we need to be in positions of influence and be able to create wealth to direct to good causes, citing Bill Gates as one example. He analysed the factors of working in a charity and found that in many cases this limits your ability to make an impact in your job as you may end up being just a 'cog in the wheel'. He talks about 5 different paths to make a difference in our lives. The first being entrepreneurship.

This young man has already made a significant contribution because he asked himself the right questions, rather than accepting the conventional wisdom; hence the title of his 17 minute TED talk; Want to make a difference? Don’t work for a charity.

If you'd like to learn more about making a difference to young people while achieving your goals in life, get in touch with us via our live chat for more details...