Thoughts on Programming for Good
The problem with being a programmer who has a much deeper desire to create change than earn money is actually finding people to work for. Imagine a site that accepts applications from non profits to have work done and matches programmers who want to spend part (or all) of their time on lesser paying projects that matter?
Am I the only one who wants this?
This week I had a series of personal and professional encounters that solidified an idea that has been forming for years—people should be able to use their talents to do good.
While this idea is not revolutionary, it is relatively untouched in the programming and developer community. We have some wonderful organizations like Catchafire, which matches volunteers with non-profits, and we have dozens of charitable start-ups. But as a culture, the world of computer science is still more about ego and money than about social change.
Over the past year, I have built websites, mobile apps, and back-end infrastructures for multiple non-profits. Each of the organizations were small but filled with passion for worthwhile causes. “Brand name” charities have the kind of money to contract programmers at $80-$100/hr. But what about the little guys? The local organizations? The ones that live by the mantra of changing one life at a time? This organizations can’t afford the big programmers. But at they same time can’t afford to not have a web and mobile presence in our digital age.
So what can we do to change the culture of developers to become programmers for good?
