#hackercitizen

[itstartswithlight]

Code for Jersey City Meeting & Hack Night

Last night I went to my first Code for Jersey City meeting. Code for JC is the local chapter of a bigger volunteer organization, Code for America, which aims to partner those working in the tech sector with government, in the hopes of making government more transparent and efficient. The end goal is making government work better for the people.

I like this idea so much. When most people think of tech, they think of young men in collared shirts programming The Next Best Thing in an Ivory Tower. But last night’s meeting showed me that the ability to code can actually be helpful and useful for a lot of people.  For example, last night we discussed data collection and how to make sense of it using different tools like Google Fusion Tables.  We also discussed how sifting through demographic data can help the city better deliver services. I made a new friend, and we talked about how to improve an existing app that’s in the works, to help folks find public transportation.

Somewhere in the middle of my journey, I had forgotten why I wanted to learn to code in the first place. It’s not just for me, so I can make a lot of money and buy nice things (although, money is nice too ^.^). I wanted to learn to code so I could reach out to other people, and MAYBE just MAYBE be able to make a difference in their lives. Thanks Code for JC for reminding me of all that!