Are You A Techie? Do You Want to Help Change The World?

Are you a techie? A web geek? A Coder? Do you want to be a superhero and change the world? If you answered “yes” to any of these, you might want to take a look at Code For America. This program is a wonderful way to give back to your community and make a real difference while still being able to earn enough money to live on. Code for America is a National Service organization, much like Americorps or Peacecorps. Their mission is to help struggling city governments that are under a great deal of pressure to do more with less. Many cities, faced with budget cuts, outdated equipment and technologies, are finding it more and more difficult to provide the services that are essential for the smooth running of the community. Code for America approached this problem by asking “What if, instead of cutting services or raising taxes, cities could leverage the power of the web to become more efficient, transparent, and participatory? What if, the professional talent in the tech industry went to work innovating the public sector? What if City Hall looked more like a start up?” Then, they decided to make that happen. To help with their initiative, they are accepting candidates to their fellowship program. The Fellowship is an 11-month program and it provides a living-wage stipend, travel expenses, healthcare, training and support. By working with a project like this one, people with great computer skills can get training on municipal governments and how they work. They will get the chance to work with leaders in the tech and government management industries and have great networking, support and mentoring opportunities. Tech Leaders Ask You to Code for America I served two years in Americorps, and I can tell you that if you have ever felt that you wanted to make a difference in the world, but weren't sure how, spending a year working to improve the quality of life in your community can be the most rewarding year of your life. And, you don't just gain personal satisfaction and fulfillment, but it looks great on a resume. If your career goal is to become a leader in business, public service or a leader in technology innovation, this type of program is an excellent way to get there. In addition to the other perks, there are many leading internet companies that have already pledged to guarantee interviews for full-time positions for those who have completed the fellowship with Code For America. If you are out of work and have the time to commit to a program like this, you could change your life and change the world. It's a win-win prospect. Are you looking for a job in the Tech field? Be sure to visit TechCareers. By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for TechCareersBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.