Decide you must, how to serve them best
October 5, 2011 12:28 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for possibilities for meaningful work within my chosen career path.
Hey everyone, I am reaching a point in my life where sitting behind a desk pushing packets around the world is just not doing it for me anymore. I need to feel like my work is making a more meaningful difference in the world.
By profession I am a network engineer. One of those Enterprise-Class network engineers that works on multimillion dollar projects that are global in scope, and cover the gamut from VOIP to VSAT and pretty much everything in between. If it routes packets, I have probably had some experience with it, or at least know my way enough around it to make it work with a little studying. Prior to that I was a web developer/web master/database guy for about 7 years.
I am reaching a point where I am no longer satisfied by the thrill of working on large projects that are technically challenging just for the technical growth aspect. I feel like there needs to be more there. I have been stymied by what that "more" is for several months now. The internal dialogue has moved from battling feelings of wanting to abandon my life to doing some internal work to identify the crux of the dilemma, to finally, this morning realizing what the hell my problem is.
Here it is: I have reached the point where I honestly don't give a crap about what most of the world does with their network access. Most of it is truly useless bullshit, and I'm tired of working my ass off 24 hours a day 365 days a year only to hear people complain that their facebook access is slow. I really don't care anymore. I'm tired of building great networks for businesses that then go buy boatloads of crap made in China and sell it to people in the US. I'm tired of building infrastructures that support the erosion of privacy and threaten the first amendment, and generally reduce the level of humanity that each of us experiences in our daily lives. I am building the machine that is slowly killing our souls, and I just can't do it anymore. I have to use these skills for a moral good. It's imperative for me know that my work contains a moral value in decision making process. It has to be used for real, qualitative, and demonstrated good. I need to inject a meaning into my work. Being a hired gun because I am quick behind the wheel of a router is just not cutting the mustard anymore.
So, hive mind, I come to you.
This morning I had a wonderful delusion of working for Doctors Without Borders, or Mercy Corps as a network engineer. Someone who could go into a disaster area and rapidly set up communications systems for local non-profits and other agencies to coordinate their efforts. It felt wonderful to consider. Is this something that is even possible?
What about any other types of agencies? Do people need this kind of person joining their ranks? Any ideas, or advice, or reality checking will be held in great esteem, and be even greater appreciated.
Hey everyone, I am reaching a point in my life where sitting behind a desk pushing packets around the world is just not doing it for me anymore. I need to feel like my work is making a more meaningful difference in the world.
By profession I am a network engineer. One of those Enterprise-Class network engineers that works on multimillion dollar projects that are global in scope, and cover the gamut from VOIP to VSAT and pretty much everything in between. If it routes packets, I have probably had some experience with it, or at least know my way enough around it to make it work with a little studying. Prior to that I was a web developer/web master/database guy for about 7 years.
I am reaching a point where I am no longer satisfied by the thrill of working on large projects that are technically challenging just for the technical growth aspect. I feel like there needs to be more there. I have been stymied by what that "more" is for several months now. The internal dialogue has moved from battling feelings of wanting to abandon my life to doing some internal work to identify the crux of the dilemma, to finally, this morning realizing what the hell my problem is.
Here it is: I have reached the point where I honestly don't give a crap about what most of the world does with their network access. Most of it is truly useless bullshit, and I'm tired of working my ass off 24 hours a day 365 days a year only to hear people complain that their facebook access is slow. I really don't care anymore. I'm tired of building great networks for businesses that then go buy boatloads of crap made in China and sell it to people in the US. I'm tired of building infrastructures that support the erosion of privacy and threaten the first amendment, and generally reduce the level of humanity that each of us experiences in our daily lives. I am building the machine that is slowly killing our souls, and I just can't do it anymore. I have to use these skills for a moral good. It's imperative for me know that my work contains a moral value in decision making process. It has to be used for real, qualitative, and demonstrated good. I need to inject a meaning into my work. Being a hired gun because I am quick behind the wheel of a router is just not cutting the mustard anymore.
So, hive mind, I come to you.
This morning I had a wonderful delusion of working for Doctors Without Borders, or Mercy Corps as a network engineer. Someone who could go into a disaster area and rapidly set up communications systems for local non-profits and other agencies to coordinate their efforts. It felt wonderful to consider. Is this something that is even possible?
What about any other types of agencies? Do people need this kind of person joining their ranks? Any ideas, or advice, or reality checking will be held in great esteem, and be even greater appreciated.
Do you know there is also an Engineers without Borders?
posted by biffa at 1:20 PM on October 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by biffa at 1:20 PM on October 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Your instinct is good, but remember, the people "working" on the ground for Médecins Sans Frontières and Mercy Corps are volunteers. The paid staff manage them. There's probably a network engineer working for the organization as a whole, but that doesn't sound like what you want, because it sounds like you really do want to be on the ground. If you want to build networks for developing countries and for the good of humanity and get paid for it, you'll probably want to look into getting a Foreign Service job, joining Peace Corps, the United Nations Development Program, or obtaining a grant via a foreign entity. The Red Cross might have use for your services, too.
posted by juniperesque at 1:40 PM on October 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by juniperesque at 1:40 PM on October 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
My hunch is that you're a great candidate for doing some exploratory, informational interviews with folks in NGOs about the tech needs of nonprofits and directions in which you could take your career. I'm not a tech person and haven't worked at nonprofits, but TechSoup in San Francisco came to mind when I read your question. Maybe you should talk to them.
posted by deludingmyself at 1:55 PM on October 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by deludingmyself at 1:55 PM on October 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Have you considered working in health care? Hospitals and large outpatient groups are almost always in need of good network engineers. It's a little outside of the network engineer scope, but if you can pick up HL7 or cloverleaf interfaces you'll have a lot of options.
You won't make the same kind of money you used to be making working on multi-million dollar enterprise projects, but your network will be used to communicate information about patient care.
Health care as an industry is holding its breath about health care reform, but the stimulus bill offered up a ton of money for health IT. Every provider in the country has to implement an electronic medical record that will hook up with all the other electronic medical records through a health information exchange. IT in health care is hiring like mad right now, and if you have any leadership ability at all you can probably rise to management pretty quickly (if that interests you).
The downsides (aside from the pay) are that I don't think hospitals and other health care organizations always attract the best, most top-level IT people (partially because of the pay, partially because it isn't very prestigious). Also, you won't be working on the cutting edge.
But I think health care is a great environment to work in overall, and I really like knowing that my work is contributing something meaningful (even though I don't work at the bedside).
Health care IT professional association link
posted by jeoc at 3:48 PM on October 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
You won't make the same kind of money you used to be making working on multi-million dollar enterprise projects, but your network will be used to communicate information about patient care.
Health care as an industry is holding its breath about health care reform, but the stimulus bill offered up a ton of money for health IT. Every provider in the country has to implement an electronic medical record that will hook up with all the other electronic medical records through a health information exchange. IT in health care is hiring like mad right now, and if you have any leadership ability at all you can probably rise to management pretty quickly (if that interests you).
The downsides (aside from the pay) are that I don't think hospitals and other health care organizations always attract the best, most top-level IT people (partially because of the pay, partially because it isn't very prestigious). Also, you won't be working on the cutting edge.
But I think health care is a great environment to work in overall, and I really like knowing that my work is contributing something meaningful (even though I don't work at the bedside).
Health care IT professional association link
posted by jeoc at 3:48 PM on October 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
You sound like a wonderful candidate for Code for America.
posted by quadog at 6:54 PM on October 5, 2011
posted by quadog at 6:54 PM on October 5, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks everyone, truly great suggestions from all of you to keep me occupied for a while.
posted by roboton666 at 11:22 PM on October 5, 2011
posted by roboton666 at 11:22 PM on October 5, 2011
Best answer: Geek Corps?
The phrase you want to google is ICT4D - information & communication technology for development. That will connect you to the Doctors Without Borders of the world who are looking for tech solutions to international development / poverty eradication / etc. I know very, very little about ICT but I do know a little bit about development. Tech is revolutionizing the way development does things, from FEWS-NET mapping (that's the USG's famine early warning system that employs a lot of cartographers and programmers!) to small-scale projects through Engineers Without Borders. If you are in DC, there are certainly ICT4D groups that you can connect with.
I also have a feeling that you are correct that network engineering in crisis settings is valuable. I'm not sure how valuable it is in places like post-earthquake Haiti (stable power supplies: hard to come by in a disaster). That said, my organization is working with a tech company to create a database in DRC that will allow for greater surveillance and treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS in 7 provinces. This requires database creation, training, network set-up, the whole works. Get involved, and memail me if you'd like some job sites that might apply.
posted by quadrilaterals at 5:47 AM on October 6, 2011
The phrase you want to google is ICT4D - information & communication technology for development. That will connect you to the Doctors Without Borders of the world who are looking for tech solutions to international development / poverty eradication / etc. I know very, very little about ICT but I do know a little bit about development. Tech is revolutionizing the way development does things, from FEWS-NET mapping (that's the USG's famine early warning system that employs a lot of cartographers and programmers!) to small-scale projects through Engineers Without Borders. If you are in DC, there are certainly ICT4D groups that you can connect with.
I also have a feeling that you are correct that network engineering in crisis settings is valuable. I'm not sure how valuable it is in places like post-earthquake Haiti (stable power supplies: hard to come by in a disaster). That said, my organization is working with a tech company to create a database in DRC that will allow for greater surveillance and treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS in 7 provinces. This requires database creation, training, network set-up, the whole works. Get involved, and memail me if you'd like some job sites that might apply.
posted by quadrilaterals at 5:47 AM on October 6, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
In the meantime, you might volunteer or make contacts with Geek Corps.
posted by maurreen at 12:55 PM on October 5, 2011 [1 favorite]