Public Interest Technology

PIT can take many forms across many professional fields and areas of human life, including: 

Academia

• Research and teaching on the effects of technology

• Community engagement 

Government

• Digital service delivery  

• Government tech  

• Law enforcement  

• Public policy  

• Regulatory oversight 

Industry

• Product Management  

• Trust and safety  

• Diversity, equity and inclusion  

• Elections integrity 

Nonprofits

• Advocacy  

• Civil and human rights  

• Human services

Public interest technologists work in all sectors of industry.

• Government agencies, like the US Digital Service. 

• Government-adjacent organizations, like Code for America. 

• Tech nonprofits, like Upsolve and Recidiviz.  

• Think tanks and tech policy, like New America and the Brookings Institution.

• Academia and research, like Ohio State's Translational Data Analytics Institute and the Battelle Center for Science, Engineering and Public Policy; or Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. 

• Philanthropic foundations, like the Columbus Foundation, OhioX and others. 

• Sustainable and Renewable Energy companies, like Invenergy.

• Nonprofit research and development organizations, like Battelle Memorial Institute.

• Mission-driven for-profit tech, like Alert Media and Headway.

• PIT in the private sector, like specific roles in DEI, inclusive design, ethics, elections integrity, philanthropy and social impact, tech policy, accessibility. 

Depending what issues matter to you, what skills you have or want to build, and the kind of workplace you want to work in, you can make an impact on a wide variety of public challenges.

• Accessible/Inclusive Design   

• Cities/Urban Issues   

• Civic Engagement   

• Connected Communities   

• Cybersecurity   

• National security    

• Democracy/Elections/ Electoral Services   

• Education   

• Environmental Sustainability    

• Ethics    

• Food & Agriculture     

• Election integrity    

• GovTech/Civic Tech    

• Urban Policy   

• Tech Policy   

• Economic Policy    

• Healthcare   

• Identity   

• Information Integrity / Data Ethics 

• Law/Legal Services   

• Criminal Justice   

• Media/Journalism   

• Privacy  

• Racial Justice   

• Social Justice   

Consider majoring in: 

• AI  

• Analytics 

• Art

• Child Development/Education  

• Communications  

• Computer Science  

• Cybersecurity  

• Data Management  

• Environmental Science  

• Human-Centered Design

• Human Rights  

• Humanities  

• Law  

• Philosophy/Ethics  

• Privacy  

• Public Policy  

• Science  

• Social Sciences  

• Software Engineering 

• Technology Strategy and Policy  

• Urban Studies

Gain specialized expertise through certification.  

Environmental Sustainability  

• CERES: Certification of Environmental Standards  

• ESG: Environmental Social Governance  

• FSA: Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting  

• GRI Standards: Global Reporting Initiative  

• TCFD: Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures  

Blockchain/Cybersecurity  

• CAP: Certified Authorization Professional  

• CCSP: Certified Cloud Security Professional  

• CEBA: Certified Enterprise Blockchain Architect  

• CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional  

• CISM: Certified Information Security Manager  

• CSSLP: Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional  

• SSCP: Systems Security Certified Practitioner  

Healthcare  

• HCISPP: HealthCare Information Security and Privacy Practitioner 

Project Management  

• Agile process / framework 

• Cybersecurity  

• Data and Algorithms  

• Data Science  

• GIS  

• IT Support  

• Project Management  

• Policy analysis 

• Programming Languages  

• Cloud/Libraries/APIs  

• Protocols/Frameworks/Platforms  

• Applications  

• Software Development  

• Statistics and Data Science in Social Sciences 

• Adaptability 

• Accountability 

• Communication (Oral/Written) 

• Commitment to social justice 

• Empathy 

• Passion for public interest