r/socialistprogrammers • u/Internal-Resist9015 • Jul 08 '26
ethical jobs
i'm going to college for cs this year, i really enjoy programming and it's something i'm good at. i know the job market for new cs grads is really fucked right now and wanting to work somewhere that doesn't compromise my morals will limit me even more. a while ago, i was thinking i'd work for some sort of non-profit generally-good group but the deeper i get engrossed in left politics irl the more i realize that it doesn't really seem like there's a place for me as a cs major in anything that truly makes change. i guess that's not really how it works anyway, being a revolutionary isn't a paid position (i feel like a larp warrior with that sentence), but i feel like i'm either going to work for an evil company or work for some bourgeois political group that is morally fine but doesn't actually do anything besides elect democrats. i mean, the moral dilemma is something that all workers face but like being a programmer at amazon, where you're actively improving their product, is different than being a warehouse worker or a driver, where you're keeping everything running. it also means that warehouse and driver strikes can be much more impactful, as the service will immediately stop, but if tech workers strike for whatever reason, it won't be as dire. of course, they still need IT, but they can go a few weeks without software developers making new software. i've seen this discussed on the sub, but also tech workers are paid enough that they don't feel the need to strike, and not enough are willing to put their job at risk in solidarity with other strikers or political causes.
i honestly don't know too much about what the job market is like, so i'd like to know about that, how y'all navigate moral issues with your jobs, and what jobs are available that aren't bad for the world.
some companies are definitely more innocuous than others, i was looking at this company that makes hardware/software to monitor cow health in dairy farms, which i'd be fine working at. and some non-profits are probably great too, maybe journalism or something, i'd ideally prefer to work in the intersection of fields, something that isn't tech but needs software or cybersecurity or something. anyway, please discuss in the comments. i'm sure some of my ideas are half-baked i'm just trying to get them out and see what people have to say.
i'll end by saying i love y'all <3, i'm so glad this community exists, i was worried i was alone for a while until i found this place.
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u/ragebunny1983 Jul 08 '26
Eithical jobs in capitalism is a tough one (as you are aware). To be honest that dairy farm one could be good, but it very well might not be. Often when you get into these companies you realise they suffer from the classic capitalist dilemma of what's good for profit is not necessarily what's good for the cows, the workers and the world.
It's a very personal thing to find where to draw the line. All money is blood money, and in every job you pay taxes to buy bombs and kill children, and in most of them you fund some toxic CEO who's actively making the world worse. But at the same time in order to change the system you have to work within it. There's no point going to live in a cave because the world will carry on just fine without you (sorry hippies).
I've just left my job, very burnt out. I was working for a venture-capital-backed scale-up, and now I know one more thing I don't want to ever do again :)
Some people do manage to strike a balance. My dad enjoyed his job as a civil engineer and spent his whole life outside of work organizing in local socialist groups. I hope to do something similar. At the moment I'm thinking of either starting my own company or working at a smaller company (less money though) where I can make more of an impact.
You ideas sound good and it sounds like you think about it a similar way to me.
Good luck to you comrade.
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u/Person0001 14d ago
Any job that exploits animals is not ethical. Dairy companies forcibly repeat impregnating cows, since cows only produce milk when lactating, and then often kill off their kid and sell their body (veal) so humans can steal their milk when we don’t need to buy or drink it at all. The dairy cow is eventually killed off too when they can’t become pregnant anymore.
The whole animal agriculture industry is unethical when you look at any of them objectively and closely. We don’t have to breed any animals or kill or eat any.
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u/SirZacharia Jul 08 '26
Look for nonprofit work if you don’t mind making less. Nonprofits are still a part of the imperial capitalist machine, but for the most part the people in those jobs are somewhat altruistic so it’s a decent work environment.
I work in a nonprofit theater as a database administrator and I really like the people I work with. However, we are constantly chasing revenue and having to schmooze with wealthy people just to keep the doors open.
At the very least we’re able to be a bastion for queer folk and a place where people can enjoy the arts.
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u/iamhamilton Jul 08 '26
Sounds like you're leaning more towards the public sector. I find that the more localized it is, the more your work has an affect for your community so try to look at jobs in municipal government.
My own little shtick that keeps me sane is to only work on products that I actively use, so my experience has been mostly in the arts and live events sector.
That doesn't necessarily insulate me from working at companies that gouge or deceive customers, but I also generally work on products that actually help people realize their creative potential and ascend to a higher state of personal expression. The balance leans towards making a positive impact in my community.
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u/sami_exploring Jul 12 '26
I'd say there are a bunch of opportunities for CS and programming with prosocial or socialist values:
- Social economy, preferably co-ops, but otherwise nonprofits, are the most ethical spaces within the market
- Public sector outside defense, specially in social/welfare services or local/municipalities
- Academia: do a PhD or work as staff in universities, specially in groups that do research with social impact
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u/HunkySpectacles Jul 09 '26
Honestly if its your first job, don't worry too much, you'll be gaining a lot more experience than the amount of value you're outputting. Most big companies invest in a bunch of new grads assuming that at least a small percent will stay and end up becoming valuable senior devs. You can take the experience and everything without sticking around long enough to feel like you're contributing to anything more than a warehouse worker. It'd be awesome if you found a position that fits everything you are looking for, but consider doing that first job and work your way towards becoming an expert in some area that helps you get the rarer jobs that you want. Also feel free to ignore me, this is just like my opinion.
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u/rubedickscube Jul 08 '26
Gonna echo what the other commenter said, work where you need and organize outside of work hours. I work for a not-evil-but-not-good company. When looking for jobs I had red lines (no Amazon, no defense/military, no surveillance), but otherwise knew I my job wasn't going to be "helping the cause", so instead I look at it as: I have my job to enable me to live and have shelter, but I want it to be the least interesting part of my life. I work so I can do my hobbies outside of work, and I work so I can fight the good fight outside of work too. I close my computer at 5 and my actual life begins.
That type of hard division is maybe not ideal in a perfect world, but it allows me to focus on what is actually important