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Ask HN: What can I do as a software engineer to help the underpriviliged?

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Re: Ask HN: What can I do as a software engineer to help the underpriviliged?

#31

Post by pvaldes »

gt_ wrote: post #6

If in America, your options are very limited and the answer very simple: Use your money, time, voice and vote to support a modern public safety net. Every other avenue is a divergence or distraction or otherwise ineffective.

Best answer in the thread and a very clever one, IMHO. Fixing things that lead directly to thousands of people falling in poverty each year is better than the neverending cycle of applying patches to mitigate its consequences.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do as a software engineer to help the underpriviliged?

#32

Post by feistypharit »

tommaitland wrote: post #23

I had the same dilemma and eventually teamed up with a few others to start a non-profit technology company, to serve other charities. The industry often gets the edge of commercial tools not built for their needs, or ones that haven’t been updated in years. For example Blackbaud is the market leader in non-profit software, they just launched the cloud version of their CRM product. You literally Citrix into a VM and s…

That's awesome, would love to hear more about the process of setting up an NPO.

P.S. brave browser on Android just spins trying to view raisely.com.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do as a software engineer to help the underpriviliged?

#33

Post by brudgers »

So long as the goal is to use software engineering to help, you run the risk of staying in the bubble. Nobody can eat an app or PaaS. It won't keep anyone out of the rain unless someone has built a roof out in meat space. More intractable is that roofs and happy meals scale linearly. Spinning up 1000 more EC2 instances doesn't address acute demand spikes.

These are hard problems. There is a reasonable probability that your professional skills are not all that applicable.However, you are not in poor company. For all that Jimmy Carter can do, every board he nails together makes a difference in some family's lives.

Good luck.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do as a software engineer to help the underpriviliged?

#34

Post by scarface74 »

mathgladiator wrote: post #5

You can apply your skills to maximize income and donate resources. I donate ~$25K/year to various animal causes. I second the thought of leaving your bubble because there is more opportunity. I am a former midwesterner, and I live near Seattle now. There are way more opportunities at the coasts then the midwest.

Dan Pollatta said in one if his Ted Talks that it wasn't selfish for a person to stay in the private sector where they could earn more money and then give the excess to charity over working for the charity and make less.

I haven't thought through his whole talk enough to have an informed opinion but it is interesting.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/trevor-neilson/dan-pallotta-w...

Re: Ask HN: What can I do as a software engineer to help the underpriviliged?

#35

Post by mathgladiator »

scarface74 wrote: post #34
mathgladiator wrote: post #5

You can apply your skills to maximize income and donate resources. I donate ~$25K/year to various animal causes. I second the thought of leaving your bubble because there is more opportunity. I am a former midwesterner, and I live near Seattle now. There are way more opportunities at the coasts then the midwest.

Dan Pollatta said in one if his Ted Talks that it wasn't selfish for a person to stay in the private sector where they could earn more money and then give the excess to charity over working for the charity and make less. I haven't thought through his whole talk enough to have an informed opinion but it is interesting. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/trevor-neilson/dan-pallotta-w...

Yes. I can have a greater impact by leveraging my skills in a market to donate rather than rallying to a cause.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do as a software engineer to help the underpriviliged?

#37

Post by anon11082016 »

I'm a little curious what your race has to do with your privilege. Have you considered that there exist privileged and under-privilidged people of all walks of life. You can take the first step towards englightenment, by removing the racist blinders (I'm assuming forced upon you by the current culture). Once you're outside of that bubble, you can now unilaterally see people who need help, and go out and help them.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do as a software engineer to help the underpriviliged?

#38

Post by anon11082016 »

klubkard wrote: post #11

Join with engineers already working on civic engagement. Check out: Tech Solidarity, Tech Resistance, Tech for Campaigns, Silicon Valley Rising, Tech Workers Coalition, Tech Stands Up, Tech Worker Coalition, Progressive Coders Network, Techtivist, Civic Hall, HacktionLab..

"Resistance", "Coalition" and "Solidarity" rings some nasty bells. Funny how Solidarity was once the battle cry of people fighting against communism. Now...I guess not so much

Re: Ask HN: What can I do as a software engineer to help the underpriviliged?

#39

Post by isleyaardvark »

scarface74 wrote: post #34
mathgladiator wrote: post #5

You can apply your skills to maximize income and donate resources. I donate ~$25K/year to various animal causes. I second the thought of leaving your bubble because there is more opportunity. I am a former midwesterner, and I live near Seattle now. There are way more opportunities at the coasts then the midwest.

Dan Pollatta said in one if his Ted Talks that it wasn't selfish for a person to stay in the private sector where they could earn more money and then give the excess to charity over working for the charity and make less. I haven't thought through his whole talk enough to have an informed opinion but it is interesting. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/trevor-neilson/dan-pallotta-w...

For completeness sake, here is best argument I've found against the idea of "Earning to Give":

http://lesswrong.com/lw/hjn/earning_to_give_vs_altruistic_ca...

It's a nuanced piece and doesn't argue against it entirely, but the arguments in it should inform these kinds of decisions.

Re: Ask HN: What can I do as a software engineer to help the underpriviliged?

#40

Post by twunde »

Help build "on-ramps" for the under-privileged. If you live near under-privileged communities try to set up paid internships that will actually help to teach these kids and help them, build a professional network. Get in front of these communities and invite them in. Try to get your HR department to rethink some of the standard requirements (Do you really need a college degree? Or even a high school degree?)
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