My quick & easy response is #137 of my ebook (see my profile):
137. How do you put your skills to good?
I’ve always thought that the best way to put your technical skills to the greater good is through your day job, not instead of it.
Some of my days jobs have been to write software to ensure that:
- people get the right prescription medication on time
- firetrucks and ambulances get to where they're supposed to be
- parts that go into cars and planes are properly certified
- prisoners are kept in jail
- those same prisoners get proper medical care
- electronic equipment gets assembled properly and on time
- medical supplies get dispatched to where they're supposed to
- insurance claims are processed properly
- quality data is properly maintained for food items
You don’t need to do charity work on the side in order to contribute to the greater good.
On the other hand, if you don’t think that the work you do during the day contributes to the greater good, then
maybe you should consider doing something else with your valuable time.
Do good and get paid. You can do both at the same time.
It is _tremendously_ inspiring to see that you can find such joy in things which are so very important (all of the things you listed) but which so many people would consider boring. It helps me put my own work in a better persoective. Thank you for sharing your insight and experience.
2. open source # the only way to contribute
My quick & easy response is #137 of my ebook (see my profile):
137. How do you put your skills to good?
I’ve always thought that the best way to put your technical skills to the greater good is through your day job, not instead of it.
Some of my days jobs have been to write software to ensure that:
You don’t need to do charity work on the side in order to contribute to the greater good.On the other hand, if you don’t think that the work you do during the day contributes to the greater good, then maybe you should consider doing something else with your valuable time.
Do good and get paid. You can do both at the same time.