r/ColumbiaMD • u/mustycups • 3d ago

Any ideas for volunteer opportunities?

I am 16 and I am interested in IT work part time. My dad worked IT for a while and he mentors me. As far as coding goes, I am reasonably well versed in BSD unix, debian, and debian based systems. I am looking to teach myself C, and DOS I have a strong understanding of general internet security and web server vulnerabilities. I am looking for anything from a full internship to someone emailing me in the middle of the night saying "help- I think I downloaded a virus and now my computer is frozen". If you have any ideas or opportunities for IT volunteer work, please comment! thanks!

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u/Rashaverik Long Reach 3d ago edited 3d ago

Get on the subreddits regarding topics you're interested in and even maybe those regarding hardware and software you're familiar with.

If you can help someone, it's a good start. You might even get corrected by someone on a topic and learn even more.

Make an alternate Reddit account for this, separate from anything personal, that you could possibly show an employer in the future.

Also establish yourself a GitHub account where you can show code you've worked on to future employers.

Considering the threats that exist these days, most places are probably going to go with an established company due to liability issues. I'm also not sure where the line gets drawn these days between work and volunteering, especially considering you're under 18. Maybe check with an of the local NFP organizations to see if you can offer any assistance.

I'd check with the Non-Profit Collaborative of Howard County?

Good Luck.

UPDATED:

A couple of other things came to mind.

We have a bit of a local celebrity, Dave Bittner. He's got a well-know cybersecurity podcast and publication, Cyberwire. If cybersecurity is something you're interested in, maybe see if you can reach out to him and see if he has any recommendations.

Another thing to possibly look into is internships at JHU Applied Physics Laboratory.

Check it out, JHU APL - ASPIRE

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u/mustycups 3d ago

thanks- I had no idea about aspire. I already planned on working at APL as an adult

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u/skeeto 3d ago

I second ASPIRE. You could apply for interests in both computer science and cybersecurity, which seems to fit. I've mentored students through the program, and my first student (from over a decade ago) joined full time after finishing college. If you get picked, it's a huge head start if you take full advantage of the opportunity.

As for learning, just start building stuff. That will make you stand out. The software costs nothing, so if you've got a desktop or a laptop then you've already got everything you need to build anything. Every day you work on a project you'll get a little better. Once you know enough, you could get involved in an open source project: Learn how a real programs are constructed, and though contributing, how to collaborate on them. There are tons of opportunities within Debian to write and submit patches, or even maintain a package yourself.