Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom • Hacker News Board

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#31

Post by golergka » Thu, Jan 21, 2016, 2:16 PM UTC

rquantz wrote: post #21

bdavisx wrote: post #4

I would say some of the students in the article probably aren't SV material - "They’d begun studying computer science in college"? So you've been involved with computers for 4 whole years and you think you're qualified for a top tier job? I'm sure not all of the students only started in college - I'm also not naive enough to think there isn't prejudice in SV, but didn't start until college...

People of lower economic circumstances may not have had access to computers prior to college.

In 1990? Likely.

In 2010? This article is supposed to be about US, not a third-world country, right?

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#32

Post by pofjer » Thu, Jan 21, 2016, 2:16 PM UTC

pingou wrote: post #18

"as the only African American on her team, she didn’t feel she had much in common with her colleagues. “When I went out to lunch or something with my team, it was sort of like, ‘Soooo, what are you guys talking about?’ ” she says" I find this sentence really shocking, perhaps because I'm french and in France we try to assimilate people more (I don't really know), but I would definitely think that as a white software…

I found it really shocking as well. Not sure how much of it is due to segregation and how much - due to the inability of the person to socialise… which is not uncommon among technical people from all races.

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#33

Post by wobbleblob » Thu, Jan 21, 2016, 2:16 PM UTC

This is an interesting question, and probably related to "why doesn't Silicon Valley hire female coders?" and "Why doesn't Silicon Valley hire coders over 30?"

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#34

Post by x1024 » Thu, Jan 21, 2016, 2:17 PM UTC

rquantz wrote: post #21

bdavisx wrote: post #4

I would say some of the students in the article probably aren't SV material - "They’d begun studying computer science in college"? So you've been involved with computers for 4 whole years and you think you're qualified for a top tier job? I'm sure not all of the students only started in college - I'm also not naive enough to think there isn't prejudice in SV, but didn't start until college...

People of lower economic circumstances may not have had access to computers prior to college.

That is true, but it doesn't mean they should be given a job they don't have the skills for. Or would you like to have "Affirmative Action" doctors?

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#35

Post by golergka » Thu, Jan 21, 2016, 2:17 PM UTC

chipgap98 wrote: post #14

bdavisx wrote: post #4

I would say some of the students in the article probably aren't SV material - "They’d begun studying computer science in college"? So you've been involved with computers for 4 whole years and you think you're qualified for a top tier job? I'm sure not all of the students only started in college - I'm also not naive enough to think there isn't prejudice in SV, but didn't start until college...

I think its kinda ridiculous to say that to be 'SV material' you need to have started studying CS before college

I don't know about 'SV material', but I certainly didn't see a lot of "10x" software engineers who were not writing code by the time they were 13-15.

Clarification: I'm not saying that it's a necessary requirement; I'm just saying that I certainly see a correlation.

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#36

Post by PaulHoule » Thu, Jan 21, 2016, 2:18 PM UTC

pofjer wrote: post #32

pingou wrote: post #18

"as the only African American on her team, she didn’t feel she had much in common with her colleagues. “When I went out to lunch or something with my team, it was sort of like, ‘Soooo, what are you guys talking about?’ ” she says" I find this sentence really shocking, perhaps because I'm french and in France we try to assimilate people more (I don't really know), but I would definitely think that as a white software…

I found it really shocking as well. Not sure how much of it is due to segregation and how much - due to the inability of the person to socialise… which is not uncommon among technical people from all races.

That is what is so hard about it. Everybody gets treated unfairly from time to time, feels awkward, etc. When you are "black" you don't know the line between racism and man's general inhumanity towards man.

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#37

Post by scarmig » Thu, Jan 21, 2016, 2:18 PM UTC

HelloNurse wrote: post #25

gtk40 wrote: post #5

It's interesting that it describes Silicon Valley as being too white, when it seems like there are quite a few Asians. Even working elsewhere, a high percentage of our programmers are Asian, higher than the metro's demographics would suggest.

For the purpose of this article, they count as white. According to a quoted student (around 1/3 of the text), Silicon Valley is "a startlingly homogeneous culture, made up of white and Asian people who “like Star Wars and stuff like Pokémon.”"

Oh yes, that homogeneous Asian culture, comprising 4 billion people who all speak the same language and eat the same food and watch the same TV shows. They're all the same!

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#38

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Jan 21, 2016, 2:18 PM UTC

chipgap98 wrote: post #14

bdavisx wrote: post #4

I would say some of the students in the article probably aren't SV material - "They’d begun studying computer science in college"? So you've been involved with computers for 4 whole years and you think you're qualified for a top tier job? I'm sure not all of the students only started in college - I'm also not naive enough to think there isn't prejudice in SV, but didn't start until college...

I think its kinda ridiculous to say that to be 'SV material' you need to have started studying CS before college

[deleted]

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#39

Post by PaulHoule » Thu, Jan 21, 2016, 2:19 PM UTC

MollyR wrote: post #17

gtk40 wrote: post #5

It's interesting that it describes Silicon Valley as being too white, when it seems like there are quite a few Asians. Even working elsewhere, a high percentage of our programmers are Asian, higher than the metro's demographics would suggest.

Yea. I don't like the way they use it. Asians and Indians get considered white if they don't fit in the specific narrative, an author wants to tell. I also don't like the idea, that liking pokemon or star wars makes you "white". There is something wrong with this,I can't seem to put into words.

Wasn't the hero of the last Star Wars movies black?

Re: Silicon Valley and Black Coders: Howard University fights to join the tech boom

#40

Post by travjones » Thu, Jan 21, 2016, 2:19 PM UTC

I've only been to SF twice, but I have to agree that it is pretty white. Not as white as Colorado, but still. I also toured Medium and was blown away by the lack of black folks working there.

It's tough to describe the feeling, but when you're the only black person in the room, you do feel different--a little uncomfortable. However, I don't think this reflects a conscious effort to not hire blacks, rather there are institutional and socioeconomic barriers that leave us underrepresented in tech and many other fields.