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Ask HN: Help finding a challenging, meaningful job?

20 points by toleavetheman ↗ HN
I am looking for a new career opportunity, and a rather specific one. I already have the job that most young programmers want, with a ridiculous salary and benefits package.

I want something challenging that could change the world. I have had major cancer twice and survived; I simply can't find it in me to glue together mockups for a random cubelet of the Borg. I have 15 years of experience doing many diverse things in the software world.

I want to cure cancer. I want to use creative, out-of-the-box ways to solve the world's biggest problems. I've been told my entire life that I have a unique ability to solve problems that others can't, but I almost never get to use that ability.

I don't know how many years I even have left to live (probably more than 10 :)). I need somebody to take a risk on me, and throw brutally hard problems at me, and see if we can't just make a difference.

Please, if you know of such an opportunity, know of somebody who does, or know me enough that you're willing to create one for us, respond to this post.

15 comments

[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 39.9 ms ] thread
kiskis
I know the feeling, but I think your brain fools you. You drank the kool aid of changing the world song.

Anyway I recommend two ways to go. First, list 50 companies and/or research areas in the world who you think does really world changing stuff.

Second, don't measure yourself just by the work you produce. You want challenges, then maybe try an extremely healthy lifestyle or extreme self discipline.

Third, you said you want to cure cancer. Well, if that's the case then fully understand what your role could be in that as a sw engineer. Then go for it and forget any other world changing ideas.

ebildsten
Check out http://planet-labs.com/ - we're not curing cancer, but we are launching a ton of satellites to hopefully make earth data far more available and transparent, and have lots of juicy SW challenges
ninetax
I want to work on that!

I submitted my application a couple weeks ago and haven't heard back. I know it says "We are not actively filling this role" but one could hope right?

Let me know if you're interested in having an ambitious software engineer on your team!

clonnholm
We are looking into cancer research and general cell research from a software engineering perspective. It is very early stages but we have a cooperation with one of the major research teams at Karolinska Institutet.

With we, I mean http://www.muchdifferent.com, a non-profit that make 70% of our business by providing network tools for the video games industry. But we do all kind of stuff and most of it is not public yet. Anyway, when we started this "company" four years ago, it was centered around the same spirit you mentioned; taking talent seriously and solving really hard problems. We still believe in these things but we are a little bit exhausted. Venturing into cancer research has been refreshing and by recruiting the help of like-minded capable people, we hope to improve and be able to inspire our surrounding.

toleavetheman
Very interesting, thanks! Since I also spent a few years in the game industry, I find this a bit intriguing. I contacted you through the site.
rajacombinator
Do you need permission to change the world? If you're so great at solving problems others can't, do it. There's no shortage of problems out there. (Note: I'm trying to encourage you.)
toleavetheman
I appreciate it, and I have tried this many times. I've found that I just can't effectively do it without being able to focus on one job at a time. Each job would get less than half of me.
lostdog
I'd suggest putting an email address somewhere to get more responses.
ryanwitt112
Hey, ping me at witt.rj@gmail.com We're looking for people. Have an LOI with UCLA Oncology and are meeting with a group of 1200 oncology researchers in a month. h4ycorp.com

Happy to talk and help where I can. -ryan

ryanwitt112
Do what you're passionate about and make the impact you want to make (or at least give it your 100% effort). Don't settle because you don't think you're capable or equipped to achieve your #1 goal. Create the opportunity you seek, if you don't see it already. "Limitations like fears are often just an illusion"
adventures
How about joining a team of similar minder people that want to change the world? Help us build a social business that will have a greater impact on poverty alleviation worldwide than any other technology based solution.

engageSPARK empowers NGOs & Governments to dramatically extend the reach and impact of their pro-poor programs, especially those that disseminate and collect information to help change people's lives. We will be the first self-service solution to enable organizations to easily and quickly launch comprehensive messaging, data collection, curriculum, and decision tree programs focused on developing countries via SMS, Voice Calls (roughly 40% of the world’s poor are illiterate), USSD, and Mobile Money in 200+ countries.

To understand the problems we’re solving, please read http://engagespark.com/blog/is-sms-really-solution-change-vo... .

We're looking for exceptional software developers to join our growing team to build pro-poor solutions! You can contact us through our website at engageSPARK.com.

ksikka
You can try Appcubator, although we don't have much in terms of resources at the moment. We're making it drastically easier to turn ideas into web/mobile software, while keeping the comfort of existing open-source frameworks. You can email us at founders@appcubator.com if interested.
toleavetheman
Appcubator looks like a great product, but I'm not sure I could use it. I'm a full-stack guy myself.