Finding a job civic

February 25, 2011 11:40 AM

I am graduating university next semester. I would like to get involved in civic engagement at some capacity. Can I get recommendation of companies / foundations to apply to for jobs and internships. i.e. See Click Fix, Code for America. I have no programming experience (as of yet) but I am extremely sociable, have been selling all my life so I do have something to offer. I am intrigued by the idea of individual initiative to solve problems in the community
posted by happydude123 to Education (2 answers total)

I'm slightly confused about what you're asking for, but if you are "extremely sociable, have been selling all [your] life", I recommend looking into jobs in development, which is what they call fundraising. You probably won't be able to get a job as a programmer if you've never programmed before, as lots and lots of people have, and they want jobs too. I don't have specific companies to recommend, but do look into development as an option for what type of job to apply for at these companies once you find ones that interest you.
posted by brainmouse at 11:44 AM on February 25, 2011

This isn't going to come as a surprise: Code for America folks have serious development [programming] chops. It's not that they aren't all of the above (sociable, nice people, etc), it's just that they've spent a lot of time working and understanding development and development platforms, and figuring out what it is that's possible with data, geolocation and God knows what else. (Also, may I offer that 'sales experience' is sometimes the very last thing that technical people and geeks value.)

That being said, Code for America is a new program. Pilot year. You're looking for something that is probably decently well established. Try on Teach for America, or AmeriCorps for established programs.

(Also: your previous questions say that you're a political science/psychology undergrad who was trying to decide to be a doctor or a diplomat. Why not also look at Doctors Without Borders or Oxfam? You're not set up to be a successful software developer at the moment, and attempting to walk into that space will bring about a deep and abiding learning curve.)
posted by msamye at 3:45 PM on February 26, 2011