Other than my daily work, I am also improving users’ experience through two side projects: the revamp of our investigation platform, SAGE’s user interface (UI) and the search bar experience of Corporate Tech applications.  I also joined a User Interface interest group called Doodle Tribe, where we share our knowledge and discuss about any problems that we might be able to solve in Corporate Tech.

Code For Good Program Experience

I remember applying for the Code For Good program in 2018. Unlike other hackathons that I had joined previously, this was an opportunity to use my technological skills to give back to the community, to provide solutions for the problems faced by the NGOs. I was actually very nervous at first because I would be working with people I never met before, but the experience was great. With the support of our mentors, we managed to work well together to put forth a viable and scalable solution. In fact, the most memorable experience from Code For Good was being able to showcase our prototype in front of the senior management, all the team mentors, NGO representatives and other hackathon participants. After working so hard all day, it was great to be able to present the fruits of our labor.

Given that our mentors were from different lines of businesses and teams and have worked in the company for a long time, the team and I got to ask a lot of questions about their Line of Business, their work experience and what their team does and that opportunity does not come by often. They were very willing to help and friendly towards us.

During my internship, I remembered an incident that made me feel very appreciated and cared for, even by senior management. After I gave my final demo and was about to end my internship, I received an email from my department’s Executive Director about what a great job I had done and how what I built would help make a positive impact. It left a positive impression and convinced me that this firm was a company that I wanted to be a part of.

Career Advice

After saying all this, my advice would be to just go for it and apply! You don’t need to know a lot of languages or frameworks. Each person in the team will bring a different skill to the plate, so don’t worry about having to be an expert! In fact, Code for Good is a great platform to learn and improve your tech skills, discover which area of tech you are interested in, and most importantly, create lasting connections with your peers and company managers! And who can say no to helping NGOs and giving back to the community?