Ask HN: I'm a developer. What can I do to change the world?

[kaishiro]

I'm a pretty good developer with a preference for front end. I have access to other like minded devs, and between us assume we can cover the full stack.

What is one thing I, regardless of scope (10 minutes to 10 years), that I can do to have a net positive impact on a global scale?

I used to work at the US State Department (took a funny path), and the most impactful programs I was ever a part of were the scalpels. They targeted one extremely specific facet of...whatever...and then executed.

Where do I go from here?

[mikeleeorg]

I once asked myself the same question. My conclusion:

There are two ways to truly change a society.

1. CHANGE THE POLICIES OF A NATION. This can have an immediate impact. It also means being in politics. I'm awful at politics, so I didn't opt for that path.

2. IMPROVE THE EDUCATION OF UPCOMING GENERATIONS. This is a slower, yet more fundamental way to shift a society. If you can't cure cancer, maybe you can help set up an environment to educate someone else who can. This is the path I choose.

I'm not a teacher. I opted for the education technology (also known as "edtech") industry. Technology isn't a panacea for all the problems you may see in the education system, but since it's a system fraught with inefficiencies, there are many opportunities for technical improvements. The trick is, of course, finding the right opportunity that can also develop into a self-sustaining process/organization.

That was my own assessment, at least. With your experience in the US State Dept, politics may also be a viable path for you. Either way, we definitely need more people like you! Cheers for asking this question.

[angersock]

Improve the AngularJS documentation.

[kaishiro → angersock]

Burn.

[japhyr]

Bring the field of education up to where it should be today.

One project I've started: building a platform that allows people to develop an open set of learning standards. The project is stalled for the moment while I complete some shorter-term projects, but I'd be happy to give this some more immediate attention if it catches your interest. The front page gives a pretty clear picture of what problems in education I'm aiming to solve:

http://opencompetencies.org

[kaishiro → japhyr]

This is pretty interesting. What drove you to get involved in this particular area? Do you/did you teach?

[japhyr → kaishiro]

I teach high school math and science, and I've always been a hobbyist programmer. I've been in both fields long enough now to see how some of the basic principles of open source can significantly improve the way education is done.

I still teach full time, but I would like to transition to half time teaching and half time developing in the next 3-5 years.

[brwr → japhyr]

I'm interested in chatting too, so I just hit you up on Twitter. :)

[kaishiro → japhyr]

Nice, we should chat more. I'll hit you up on email/twitter.

[seanccox]

"Change the world" is a lofty goal. If you're just starting out, I'd suggest changing your community.

Start with an under-represented population (an ethnic group, gender, or class) in your geography. Then, identify a problem affecting/limiting the ability of an individual in that group to change their circumstances (literacy, access to finance, etc.). When you figure out whether you can code a solution, it is probably a solution that is scalable to other communities.

If you can't code the solution directly, examine other ways you can automate assisting them. For example, letter writing is still regarded as an important means of reaching out to US politicians to address an issue. That means, if you are illiterate or of limited literacy, you're probably unable to have a voice in US politics.

Of course, to do all this, you need to find the population you want to serve and reach out to them. That's why I suggest starting in your community, rather than starting with "the world".

Look me up if you'd like to discuss this further – I used to work in refugee aid in Istanbul and there were many ways a developer could have helped us fight human trafficking, identify refugees at risk of deportation, or just ensure refugees were processing their paperwork correctly. I'd be happy to share my experience.

[chippy]

Did you ever interact with CodeForAmerica? I know it's not really "the world" but it could be a good starting point.

Otherwise, I would aim my attention towards the humanitarian community, open data and community building projects. The key issue is that you have to be interested in the project, you have to have some passion and follow that.

[toomuchtodo → chippy]

I ran into Code For America reps at Twilicon ~2 years back; good folks, although they could use a lot more funding, a lot more PR, and perhaps should be rebranded as the Department of Innovation.

[kaishiro → chippy]

No, never even heard of it TBH. Looks pretty neat though. I'll definitely dig in more.

Open data is interesting. I guess I never really thought of that as a humanitarian project. Is there a specific angle you have in mind?

[Mz]

You could reply here before looking for a bigger battle: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7291726

We change the world with every small thing we choose to do. How do you want to change it? What sort of future do you envision?

I have cystic fibrosis, as does my oldest son. We have figured out how to get well. I am still trying to figure out how (and sometimes whether or not) to share the information. People get really cranky if you know something genuinely game-changing. I get a lot of hostility and damn little support.

So I would advise: Be careful what you wish for.

[_Terminus]

Calculate the remaining resources left on earth and from that, the carrying capacity of this planet. Then we can calculate the time left on this planet before humans over-consume and pass the point of no return for their existence (be it remaining food or air, etc). Until that is addressed, I'd say the priorities are in the wrong sequential order.

It is the most intelligent approach. Anything less is a duct-tape solution that does not address the problem of over-consumption, ideally, leading to a Cybernated Resource-based Economy...

[phantom_oracle]

I can't promise you'll "change the world" but you can do some good work here:

http://www.socialcoding4good.org/

I think a good way to start changing the world is to find solutions to the problem of lack of food/water for the poorest of the poor. If we can get that right, then change is possible.

[nodemaker]

I am not sure how you can change the world, but you will be featured on https://twitter.com/shit_hn_says/ this month. So you have at least that going for you.

[egor83]

I saw Random Hacks of Kindness [1] mentioned in one of the similar threads. Didn't try them myself (yet), so can't say if they're any good, though.

[1]: http://www.rhok.org/

[bliti]

Best way to improve the world is to improve yourself. You touch many lives everyday. One positive change in you will cascade into society. It sounds all feel-good-BS, but I've lived this myself. It works.

[lukasm]

Build the new photo sharing app. Sell it to FB. Become angel investor. Invest in startups that are changing the world. Start the next one with capital you have.

[arisAlexis]

I have a project that although not an entirely new idea I believe it can make a big impact and I need front end developers. contact me if you like

[digita88]

Scalpels, as in surgery? If you like that area, stick with medical and health care.