Tech Jobs For Good: Why Software Engineering Matters

Software engineering is a popular career path for anyone looking to get out of their current grind, and rightfully so! These roles are often lucrative (Built In estimates the average salary for a software engineer is $136k+, for example), and they also tend to offer flexible and/or remote schedules that can give you lots of time back in your week.

But what if you want a career that’s also meaningful, that changes the world or helps society? Can software engineering fulfill you in this way, too? 

Yes – you absolutely can make a positive difference as a software engineer. Here’s why it’s one of your best options if you’re specifically looking at tech jobs for good in this world: 

Why software engineering is important

Software engineering as a profession offers a wide range of opportunities, usually involving anything from designing and structuring computer software and/or systems to actually coding, testing, and implementing that software. 

The reason this versatile role can make a difference in the world is because software engineers are given the unique privilege of creating and writing good code for good causes.  

These are just a few of the many ways this career could help you fulfill your dream of doing meaningful work:

Accessibility

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 16% of the world’s population (about 1 in 6 people) is disabled. From blindness to spinal injuries, people with disabilities and special needs often have a harder time using technology efficiently. It’s even rarer when this technology and platforms are created with accessible computing and software in mind.

Fortunately, software engineering can work to improve accessibility, both in a coding environment and in the physical environment. For example, engineers can work to include accessible features and solutions in the software they develop (like screen readers), and participate in research studies and communities working to better understand disability needs. They can also aim to work at companies whose solutions directly help those with disabilities, like healthcare transportation company Roundtrip. 

Finances

The financial and banking industry does not have a strong track record of providing services equally across US citizens. For example, a McKinsey report from 2022 showed that the median wealth of a Black American family has only about 13% of the wealth of a median White family, mainly due to a lack of access to affordable – and equitable – financial solutions. 

This type of disparity is a common problem in the financial industry, but not all hope is lost. McKinsey’s report also discovered that if the financial sector works to close the racial wealth gap, it could result in an additional 5% of GDP growth in the United States!

This is where software engineering can help. By developing and launching software programs, apps, or other solutions that address inequities in the financial industry, engineers can help reduce the racial wealth gap, improve families’ lives across the nation, and overall contribute to increasing America’s wealth and value. 

Nonprofits/Volunteering

When you’re looking for tech jobs for good as a software engineer, you shouldn’t overlook two types of companies arguably driving a lot of social impact: nonprofits and volunteering organizations. These of course cover a wide range of industries – everything from the environment to poverty – and as such, provide a host of opportunities for software engineers to make a difference. 

Just search for social impact-related openings, and you’ll find plenty of options (job search platform Built In even has a “social impact” filtering option). For example, Beam Impact connects consumers to brands who donate to charity every time a purchase is made. There are also platforms like Submittable that help organizations and governments run volunteering and giving programs. Many of these companies are eager for more software engineering help as they grow.

How TripleTen graduates Jake and Tiffany are making a difference

At this point, you can see why software engineering will play a vital role in the tech for good movement. And in case you need further convincing, the proof of this career’s impact is in our graduates’ stories. 

Take Jake McCambley_{Taking Therapy from the Outdoors to Tech: Jake McCambley’s TripleTen Story}, for example. Jake worked as a wilderness therapist for years in Utah, helping people learn outdoor skills in conjunction with therapy on week-long desert camping trips. However, by 2020 Jake needed a new job, and after hearing about coding bootcamps, he discovered TripleTen’s bootcamp and enrolled.

Jake had always been interested in coding, so our bootcamps, while challenging, were exactly what he was hoping for. As he finished up his program here, Jake knew he wanted to work “somewhere related to mental health or related to conservation, somewhere that I felt like was going to be doing good in the world.” He reached out to the CEO of a mental health company called Zencare, was offered interviews, and got a job offer. 

Now, Jake’s a full-time software engineer at the company, helping people connect with therapists.

There’s also Tiffany Hall_{A Teacher Switches to Tech to do Even More for Students: Tiffany Hall’s TripleTen Story}, another TripleTen graduate making a difference. With 15 years of special education experience under her belt, Tiffany became disillusioned with teaching after many of the educational tech advancements popular during the pandemic were essentially brushed aside once restrictions were lifted. She didn’t want to go back to traditional methods, because she had seen how tech had helped many of her students.

Tiffany decided to pursue software engineering on her own. She discovered TripleTen at a conference, enrolled, finished her coursework, and then applied to edtech jobs to combine her experience with her new skills. She discovered her dream job in an edtech company working on an algorithm to determine the type and length of instruction needed for different students.

Tiffany was able to land that role where her TripleTen-taught skills were put to good use helping connect more students with education styles and options that fit them. Since then, she’s found another impactful job: she works as a full-stack developer at arguably the most renowned education-based company in the world, Scholastic!

How to know if software engineering is for you

Software engineering definitely gives you the ability to embrace your values and act on your desire to change things for the better. So as you move toward this career path, be sure to ask yourself these questions to ensure it’s the right match: 

Do you enjoy technology and find it fascinating? 

• Do you like problem-solving activities like logic or puzzle games?
• Does the idea of creating new programs from scratch to solve problems excite you?
• Would you jump at the chance to fix errors or bugs in software?
• Have you ever tinkered with coding or wondered how it could be improved?
• Are you okay with uncertainty and making decisions based on limited information?
• Are you able to adapt and make changes as needed?

Tech jobs for good: find your path

Software engineering matters for many reasons and in many more industries beyond the ones discussed here, but by now you should have a good understanding of why this career is more than just its salary and flexibility. As a software engineer, you can have a meaningful career while doing great things for your chosen area of interest, whether that’s people, the planet, or even both of them at the same time.

Want to make sure you’re heading down the right path with software engineering? Check out our tech career quiz and see if coding for good is in your stars.