Why I’m Coding for Canada: Santiago Mendoza
2017 Code for Canada fellow Santiago Mendoza reflects on why he brought his web development skills to the public service.
Work as a software developer can be impersonal. I’m not talking about inaccurate stereotypes about us having no friends, but about how it’s not always simple to get a sense of the impact the code we’re writing is making out there in the world.
I have had the chance of contributing to the development of tech products that are used by thousands of people across different countries — I certainly get a kick out of it every time. I always smile at the thought of someone in a foreign country I’ve never visited using a product powered by a piece of software that I wrote. There is a sense of personal and professional satisfaction that comes with it.
Do these products make an impact on the lives of their users? I think so, up to a certain extent. Is this impact positive? I hope so, although this is more difficult to answer. Are these users people who need help? Not necessarily.
I like to think of myself as a problem solver. I like being useful to others; it gives me a sense of purpose. It’s probably one of my personality traits, too. In the past I have mostly done this on a small scale — listening to and giving advice to friends, helping strangers with directions (I must look like I know the way, even when I don’t), and volunteering for different causes.
“I had never really considered using my professional skills to this end — or doing it on a bigger scale, contributing to the lives of hopefully many people at the same time.”
I believe there is a different sense of personal satisfaction that comes with helping people who need help. But I had never really considered using my professional skills to this end — or doing it on a bigger scale, contributing to the lives of hopefully many people at the same time. When I learned I could do both as a Code for Canada fellow, working inside government, I jumped at the chance!
The challenge my team and I are working on is helping adult learners in Ontario find free education programs that match their needs. We’re talking about people who, for diverse reasons, were unable to meet their educational targets, people who are looking to refresh their skills in order to get a job, and immigrants who need to improve their English or French to succeed in Canada.
The project speaks to me on a personal level, both as a newcomer to Canada and as a former scholarship recipient who needed financial support in order to complete a bachelor’s degree. But more than that, being a Code for Canada fellow ensures that the answers to the questions I posed earlier are the right ones.
Are the products I’m building as a fellow making an impact on the lives of their users? Definitely. Is that impact positive? I’m certain it is. Are these users people who need help? Yes, and I’m thrilled to contribute to such a cause!
That’s why I’m coding for Canada.
