There are plenty of options and ideas out there to work on your spare time to improve the world and its society. It's just a matter of thinking which areas you feel you could have had something better and you didn't. In my case, me and 2 friends realised that when we were younger and students, we had a lot of questions and ideas but we didn't have a place where we could discuss or people with experience to get advise from (we are from latinoamerica). Today, as we are the people with experience, we created a mentorship platform for latin-americans, where people like we were before, can join and ask for advise and learn from more experienced people.
This is our way to try to improve the world.
site: https://oraculi.io
Ask HN: Improving the world as a software developer
61–64 of 64 posts
Re: Ask HN: Improving the world as a software developer
#62Your best option is probably to make as much money as you can without being evil and donate a ton of it to Givewell[0]-approved effective charities. Givewell is a group that analyzes charities to determine which ones do the most good per dollar. The best ones are mostly initiatives to treat and prevent tropical diseases in Africa.
Re: Ask HN: Improving the world as a software developer
#63I am or actually was in a similar situation as you. I grew tired of developing software just for the sake to earn money (selling things, improving conversion rates, booking systems, etc.).
Eventually I ended up only applying for jobs which would enable me to work on something which actually could or will make a difference or I cared about. Was hired in the end (even found very few positions available in those spaces). You have to decide for yourself what things you care about to support and then find businesses or companies in that area which currently hire someone with your skill set. I admit there is a bit of luck involved, but should be possible if you are living not in the middle of nowhere or find remote positions.
Keep also in mind that this does not necessarily mean good pay (but should be decent at least) or a good company culture in the end. But I think this is the same risk you would take with any job.
Re: Ask HN: Improving the world as a software developer
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
A friend of mine who has repeatedly sought to help out impactful non-profit initiatives over the years jumped from Google to 18F and he is really glad to be there. He has always leaned towards those interests and while he enjoyed some experiences at Google, he has never been interested in making a lot of money and I know he relishes the challenge of solving not just technical problems but also organizational improvem…
I'm afraid to ask, but do 18F and other likewise government "startups" pay well? Most government jobs relating to programming seem to be limited by the GS payscale.
They are limited by the GS payscale.
> 18F team members are hired for specific position descriptions at a specific grade level from the federal general schedule (GS) (excluding SES positions). The GS system is a pay system for civilian employees in the federal government; evaluation and compensation varies by grade level. The qualification requirements for each position at a specific GS level are based on education, background, accomplishments, and experience. The specific requirements will always be listed in the job posting. Salaries of federal employees are public information, and your salary may become publicly available...
> The annual salary cap for all GS employees is $164,200 per year. You cannot be offered more than this under any circumstance.
More here: https://18f.gsa.gov/join/