From virtual reality to cybersecurity to office productivity and bookkeeping, the applications of technology continue to expand into almost every aspect of our daily lives. And, because of this growth, learning to program can not only lead to a stable, fulfilling career but also help you reach out to and help those in need.

There are a variety of tech-based jobs and volunteer opportunities where you can apply your programming knowledge to social good projects. If this is something you’re interested in pursuing, our courses can give you the skills you need to improve the world around you however you choose. Continue reading to learn about just a few of the many opportunities available for you to do some social good.

Open-source projects

Open-source projects for social good can range from helping a non-profit organization create an app to helping improve government services. These projects encourage collaboration from people around the world and allow anyone to use the final product for whatever purpose that can help their organization.

Contributing to these open-source projects can help countless individuals that may not otherwise have the resources to access technological guidance. But not only would your skills help support those in need, you’d also be joining a community of programmers helping each other to assist organizations and non-profits, which is a great networking opportunity.

If you’re interested in building your coding skills to pursue a job or volunteer position in the open-source sector, our courses can get you started with the basics.

And, if you’re not sure where to start, check out our Learn Java course. Java is one of the most popular programming languages — used for software development, large systems development, and mobile applications — and it’s a great place to begin your coding journey. Another popular language is Go, which powers much of Google’s cloud platform and can be used in web and application development. Take a look at our Learn Go course for more information.

Each of these programming languages will give you a strong base to start working on whatever open-sourced project you’re interested in.

Teach coding

The programming community is one of collaboration, and whether you’ve been a long-time programmer or are just starting out, you’ll always have something to learn and share. Using the programming knowledge you’ve gained — whether it’s to build websites, mobile apps, or chatbots — to teach others can make a world of difference in someone’s life.

For teaching opportunities, there are several organizations that focus on teaching the youth of varying backgrounds to focus their talents on learning tech skills they can use now and in the future. Two popular organizations are Teens Exploring Technology and Girls Who Code. Another great nonprofit is MotherCoders, if you’re interested in teaching adults.

Support social change

Humanitarian projects are often in need of technical support to both organize their efforts and keep them running smoothly. This is an opportunity for you to use your programming skills to help organizations continue their vital work while not having to worry about technical issues.

Some organizations, like Bayes Impact, focus on creating new public services under the support of local governments. The citizens themselves design and promote services that are relevant and aid the people in their communities.

Other projects involve using programming skills to assist non-profit groups around the world, like Code the Change. This has resulted in meaningful work, such as programmers creating an application to track malnutrition in foreign countries. Using your coding skills for projects like this can have impactful results that you’ll be proud to share with others.

Computer science is a Career Path we offer to help you gain a strong foundation for a professional programming career. Learn Python is another course that can teach you skills to use for anything from software and web development to scientific applications. These courses can give you the skills to support a variety of projects aimed at promoting social good.

Work remotely

Using your programming skills can do a lot of good for many different types of companies, non-profits, and educational programs. A number of these positions can be done remotely. This could increase the opportunities you have to help organizations not only in your neighborhood but around the world.

You may be able to help create applications for projects that don’t require you to be on-site. This can allow you to collaborate with a nationally or globally distributed team working toward the same goal. Each of these jobs requires different skills, so starting your coding education can get you on the right track to support social good without needing to leave your home.

Also, keep in mind that there are organizations that support remote workers and volunteers in their own continued education. So  while you’re helping an organization meet their goals, you can also continue advancing your career goals as well.

Our courses are a great stepping stone to first educate yourself, which enables you to then educate and support others. Organizations around the world need programming and technical support to accomplish their missions. They need programmers willing to give their time and resources to support them so they can help those in need.

To get started with web design, check out courses like Learn HTML, Learn CSS, and Learn Navigation Design. You can also start a Skill Path towards creating web applications by taking Build Python Web Apps with Flask.

Each of these courses will help you to gain the knowledge necessary to start helping organizations around the world that need your technical skills. Begin your path to programming for social good by signing up for our courses today, free of charge.