Insights for people transitioning into AI Global Catastrophic Risk Mitigation from Successif’s Career Advising Service 

Embarking on a career transition, particularly into a field like AI Risk Mitigation, can feel like stepping into the unknown. It's a deeply personal journey, and it's entirely normal to encounter a range of obstacles along the way. 

Leading over 400 advising sessions with more than 200 mid-career and senior professionals, we, at Successif, have observed some common patterns and practices that supported a majority of advisees in their transition success.

This article aims to normalize the common struggles of career transitions, set realistic expectations for the journey ahead, and illuminate how a collaborative advising relationship can empower you to navigate this exciting, yet demanding, new chapter.

Normalizing Challenges in Your Career Transition

Many professionals we work with share similar challenges and negative emotions, and understanding that you're not alone in these is the first step towards overcoming them.

One of the most common hurdles is simply not knowing where to start, which can lead to a sense of being overwhelmed. The sheer volume of information, the perceived technical complexity of AI, and the uncertainty of a new professional landscape can be paralyzing. 

You might find yourself trying a handful of things – sending out a few applications, having a couple of introductory calls – and then feeling profoundly discouraged when success isn't immediate. It's crucial to understand that finding your place in a new field often requires a bucketful of things, not just a few. This could become truer and truer as you gain more experience, you may have developed niche expertise that requires you to spend more time on finding the right fit, but your comparative advantage and marginal impact in that role will be much higher. 

Imposter syndrome, a psychological pattern that makes individuals doubt their accomplishments despite evidence of their competence, is another pervasive challenge. Many experienced professionals, accustomed to being experts in their previous fields, suddenly feel like they're lacking fundamental insight into AI Risk Mitigation. This self-doubt can be debilitating, causing individuals to undervalue their existing, highly transferable skills and unique perspectives. Imposter syndrome often relies on self-limiting beliefs such as “I am too old for a transition,” “I am not smart enough to work on AI Risk Mitigation,” “Who cares what I have to say?” “I don’t have anything to contribute,” etc. When examined, these beliefs often lack any real evidence. By continuously asking "why" and digging deeper into the roots of these feelings, you can often reveal them as irrational fears, despite their pervasive nature. While common and capable of severely impairing a career, recognizing their unfounded nature is a crucial step towards overcoming them. 

Beyond the internal struggles, external factors also play a role. There can be a sense of guilt towards family, long-term team members, or even your current employer, for considering such a significant shift at this stage of your life. You might worry about financial or geographical implications or the disruption to your established routine or to your family. 

Additionally, the AI Risk Mitigation field, like many tech-adjacent domains, can sometimes be perceived as a white male-dominated environment, presenting unique challenges for women and other underrepresented groups. Recognizing these systemic biases is important, not as an excuse to stop at the gate, but as a traveller's tip to find the right keys (e.g. resources, people, and orgs) which unlock a more inclusive environment - with you in it!

Ultimately, many of these challenges arise from a lack of strategic clarity and accountability, leading to the internal resistances mentioned above. At Successif we pair with you as equal, caring collaborators, in order to move through your career transition with more effectiveness and fun.

A Resilient Mindset Around Embracing Failures

It should not be a secret that the job market for impactful AI Risk Mitigation roles can be highly competitive, with hundreds, sometimes over a thousand, of applicants for a single position. Therefore, rejections are rather the norm than the exception. For most of our advisees, it is about having a healthy mindset, a balanced skill profile, and knowing how to authentically present oneself that will increase their likelihood of success.

This raises the following question: Are you ready to embrace rejection and failure? We've observed that advisees respond to rejection in vastly different ways, with significant implications for their well-being, growth, and transition success. 

Consider the difference between a win or lose versus win or learn mindset. The former creates a constant sense of failure and self-doubt, while the latter transforms every experience into an opportunity for reflection and growth.

Being rejection-ready doesn't mean you're rejection-proof - you'll still feel the sting of disappointment, and that's completely normal. Instead, it means you're mentally preparing for the inevitable nos and inviting potential benefits of this part of the process. 

One successful advisee chose an unconventional path: setting monthly rejection targets, like five declined applications and five unanswered LinkedIn outreach messages. Another idea is to create a rejection rewards card, where every tenth rejection earns you a celebratory dinner with a person you like! 

Building this mindset can be hard, especially as a lot of us grew up being told not to fail. Spending some time to think about ways to make this easier and more playful for you can make a big difference on the road to success that is paved with rejections. Our advisors would be happy to guide you along the way and find a strategy that works for you.

Building Your Network and Presenting Your Authentic Self

While hiring processes are the most evident place to showcase your skills and qualities, the stress and anxiety of interviews can sometimes obscure your true self. This is where authentic connections made over a topic that interests you and the person you speak with can truly set you apart.

While networking might seem like a buzzword, we have observed that it is a cornerstone of successful career transitions. In an era where AI can assist with technical assessments, the human element – your character, emotional intelligence (EQ), and moral compass – becomes ever more critical. 

Many professionals find the idea of networking uncomfortable, equating it with selling or marketing themselves. At Successif, we encourage a different perspective: networking is about making meaningful connections. It's about genuine curiosity, shared interests, and mutual respect. When you approach networking with this mindset, it transforms from a transactional exchange into an enriching experience. Being recommended by someone who knows you and genuinely believes in your character and capabilities can open doors that remain closed to hundreds of anonymous applicants. In fact, in the U.S., about half of the jobs created are never publicly advertised. They might be filled through already established connections, referrals, or internal hiring. It is especially important to network to be able to be considered for those positions. Networking has a much higher pay-off than applying for twenty jobs with hundreds of applicants. 

One of our advisees recently shared that they talked to about 100 people before finding an impactful and fulfilling role that seemed like an excellent fit. A story that isn’t one of failure, but of incredible resilience and learning through every single interaction. While it is not always necessary to lead 100 conversations (we have seen some succeed with just a few), the retrospective reflection of this advisee showed that conducting those conversations was a big contributor to success. It eventually led to being referred for a position, which is critical in hiring rounds with often over a thousand initial applicants.

We believe that a brilliant professional with strong networking skills is far more impactful in this interdisciplinary field, where knowledge is increasingly created through collaborative exchange.

Upskilling and Building a Portfolio with Real-World Impact

One of the most common misconceptions we encounter from professionals looking to transition into AI Risk Mitigation is the belief that they need to become an overnight technical expert before they can even apply. 

While foundational knowledge is certainly valuable, it's important to understand that the field of AI Risk Mitigation is broad, knowledge quickly outdated, and requires a diverse range of skills – not just deep technical proficiency. Your existing expertise, honed over years in your current career, is a powerful asset.

Often, career transitions are far from linear. Here are a few examples from our advisees who got offers from AI Risk Mitigation organizations: 

• A School Principal with project management experience was offered a Research Manager role in an AI governance think-tank
• An engineer was offered a role in communication in a technical AI Risk Mitigation  organization
• A digital designer became a Project Director in an AI alignment organization
• A consultant became a Research Manager in a technical AI Risk Mitigation organization

Other times, our advisees keep doing the same job (ML engineer, product manager, operations associate, research manager, etc.) but move from a non-impactful organization to an AI Risk Mitigation one. 

The key is to strategically identify and address genuine skill gaps rather than trying to master everything at once. This involves understanding the specific requirements of target roles within AI Risk Mitigation (whether technical safety, governance, policy, ethics, or strategy) and then pinpointing areas where you need to grow.

Equally important is being critical about how much time, if any, to dedicate to upskilling. We've observed that advisees sometimes risk over-investing in skill development, particularly because it feels more comfortable and certain than the vulnerable work of applying for positions, networking, and building portfolios with real-world impact. Don't let upskilling become a form of productive procrastination that keeps you from the messy but essential work of putting yourself out there. 

So, instead of focusing solely on upskilling and certifications, which can be helpful but often insufficient, we emphasize building a portfolio with real-world impact. This means engaging in side projects and doing freelancing, replicating a paper, or tackling an open research question that could secure your own funding. This will help you showcase your skills and build credibility. 

Consider:

• Writing op-eds or blog posts on relevant topics, sharing your unique perspective.
• Actively engaging on LinkedIn, posting about your interests and insights.
• Starting a small newsletter to establish credibility and name recognition.
• Participating in coding initiatives like AI evaluations or bounties or directly tackling an unsolved research question in AI Risk Mitigation, which you can then add to your project portfolio
• Freelancing, pro bono consulting, or targeted volunteering

These hands-on experiences are invaluable for demonstrating your skills, passion, and commitment to potential employers or collaborators. They also provide tangible evidence of your capabilities that can be shown around, potentially leading to connections with future colleagues or co-founders. 

One successful advisee strategically volunteered for four organizations, contributing their people leadership and impact evaluation expertise through varied commitments - from one hour weekly over three months to a single two-hour workshop for a leadership team. This approach eventually led to an invitation to join an AI Risk Mitigation organization's advisory board. Notably, none of these four opportunities were formally advertised; all emerged through active networking and approaching organizations with highly specific, customized value propositions that addressed their particular needs.

The goal isn't to become an AI expert overnight, but to strategically leverage your existing strengths while acquiring the targeted knowledge and practical experience that will allow you to make a meaningful contribution to AI risk reduction.

Making the Most of Your Career Advising Journey: A Collaborative Partnership

At Successif, our advising program is designed as a collaborative partnership built on mutual respect and shared goals. It's essential to understand what this relationship entails and, equally important, what it does not.

What Successif's Advising IS:

• A sounding board and source of clarity: your advisor provides a safe space for you to explore ideas, bounce thoughts back and forth, and gain clarity on your career path.
• Personalized strategic guidance: we support you in crafting a career path based on your unique situation (such as, but not limited to, living circumstances, family commitments, and financial constraints). This includes guidance on navigating professional culture and understanding various career avenues within AI Risk Mitigation.
• Accountability: advising is about translating aspirations into concrete plans. We provide tailored action items and accountability through regular progress check-ins, helping you maintain momentum and motivation.
• Feedback: you’ll receive feedback on application materials, practice with mock interviews, and get support preparing for conferences and networking events.
• Emotional support: your advisor provides ongoing mental support, coaching for confidence-building, and a space to process challenges as they arise.
• Community and Connection: you get the chance to join a Discord community of peers making similar transitions.
• Ongoing advising relationship: the advising relationship is designed to be ongoing, whether your transition takes weeks or months. Your advisor gains a common understanding of your situation, capacity, and can see the big picture, offering a different perspective when you're too close to the challenges.
• Providing initial speedup and introduction to foundational resources: we help you cut through the noise and identify the most relevant upskilling opportunities, courses, and materials tailored to your background and target roles.
• Helping you identify and address skill gaps: through personalized guidance, your advisor will work with you to pinpoint specific areas for development and create a realistic plan to bridge those gaps.
• Connecting you to opportunities: We help you get connected to upskilling programs and job opportunities through our opportunity matching service.

What Successif's Advising IS NOT:

• We can’t guarantee you a job. As advisors, we are focused on self-efficacy and empowerment. We hope that the tools, strategies, and confidence gained will benefit you way beyond securing your next position.
• It is not us doing applications, networking, or interviews for you. Advising means teaming up on equal terms to lower the barrier to entering a new career stage. While we may facilitate introductions and provide resources, the proactive effort comes from you.
• It is not about being told what to do. Instead, it's about collaborative exploration of personal challenges and discovery of new perspectives, guided by an experienced professional.
• Although we provide a space to share your struggles along the way, Successif advisors are not trained as therapists. If you feel the need for deeper emotional support, please consult a professional.

We have observed that the most successful advisees are those who embrace this collaborative spirit. They are proactive in their efforts, open about their challenges and emotions, and vocal about their needs. This vulnerability allows your advisor and the Successif team to provide the most tailored and effective support, leading to greater progress and personal growth.

Conclusion

Embarking on a career transition into AI Risk Mitigation can allow you to contribute to counteract one of humanity's greatest potential catastrophic risks and shape the development of truly transformative technology. You'll be part of a small, growing community with outsized impact potential, working alongside world-class researchers and policymakers on intellectually stimulating challenges.

While the path may present hurdles – from navigating uncertainty and skill gaps to overcoming imposter syndrome and managing rejections – these challenges are normal and surmountable. Successif is here to be your steadfast partner, offering personalized guidance that takes into account your emotional well-being and unique life circumstances. 

Your expertise, honed over years of professional experience, could be a critical asset for the AI Risk Mitigation field. The demand for experienced professionals with diverse perspectives is strong, and we at Successif would be thrilled to help you figure out how to have an impact with your background, skills, and character.

Are you ready to explore how your expertise could contribute to reducing AI risk? Apply to our free program today or contact us with any questions at contact@successif.org. We are here to support your career transition and help you make the most meaningful connections on your journey.