Goals, Intentionality, and the Wisconsin Idea: Applying Your Knowledge to the Real World

So, you’re on your coding journey, you’ve pulled out all the stops, and you’re looking to build something, but you’re not sure what. You don’t want to build another prototype of the same things you see all the tutorials making — a YouTube, Netflix, or even a Twitter clone, for instance — but you’re unsure where to start.

Little do you know, though, that there’s an untapped resource right outside your door: your community!

Yes, that’s right! There are businesses, people, public services, and other entities that need your help and your expertise. What you’re learning, what you’re doing — there are real world applications for these things! These real world applications can be things like working with your local high school to create a better scheduling system, re-designing a small shop’s branding and logos, or making a website for a new business to help it gain publicity. But there are a few things you should do preceding the initial contact stages.

First and foremost, I’d like to introduce you to the Wisconsin Idea. At the University of Wisconsin — Madison(the school I attend) it’s their pedagogy to encourage us, the students, to give back the community in ways we see fit, utilizing our education and what we’ve learned along the way to reinvigorate the community we are a part of. How is this done properly so we can create a better community around us? Great question. Here’s a few things to put on your to-do list to create a better community and a better you.

1. Make a list — thinking about your community, make a list of all the potential people, entities, or businesses you could work with, and what they need. Then, think about what you’re interested in, and find the businesses that match up with you!
2. Look inward — think about what you are good at, where you want to be, and write out a learning plan to show these strengths off. Think about the things that make you light up inside, the things that you find fun, and the ways in which you want to advance educationally on your coding journey.
3. Be intentional — if you’re the type of person who doesn’t just do things for the sake of doing them, then intentionality is going to be your best friend throughout this whole journey. Have a reason for learning what you’re learning, for doing what you’re doing. Find that reason, find your why.
4. Set your goals — when you’re setting your goals, think of the near future first. Ask yourself, “Where do I want to be in the first week? Month? 3 months? Year?” and then make a small system of things to do every day in order to reach your goal. Your goals, your intentions, your progression — it’s only going to be successful if you do the work.

These 4 things are things that have helped me along my path and have certainly helped others as well. Think about where your community is now, and where it could be with your help. In order to enact change within your community, you have to enact it within yourself first, though. Find that fire, let it burn. Feed it daily with inspiration, with discipline, with happiness and optimism, with forced failures and no expectation but getting up and trying again. Do these things, and you’ll change your community far more than you could ever believe.