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

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

#71

Post by itg »

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'm amazed at the replies that think if you didn't start programming since you were young, then you are seen as worthless. Majority of my fellow CS grads didn't write their first line of code until college and after a few semesters, most of them caught up with or surpassed the ones who learned programming since they were young. Almost all of us now work in great companies and some went on to do PhD's. I honestly hope I never have to work with people are arrogant and ignorant as you.

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

#74

Post by pofjer »

PaulHoule wrote: post #36
pofjer wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

How about not assuming racism in the first place? It may just be that you are new and people are not accustomed to having you as a part of their group. I'm sure that even if some of them have prejudices, they will accept you as soon as you show them what you are made of and that you are trustworthy. I'm sure everyone knows at least one shhole from their race, so they can accept a decent person from another one when given the opportunity.

If despite your best efforts, nobody accepts you, and some even make openly racist remarks towards you, then you ring that bell.

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

#75

Post by Yaziyumaru »

qaq wrote: post #10
GFK_of_xmaspast wrote: post #3

Did you read the article?

Did you? Google FB etc. are hiring MIT, Stanford etc. graduates what a surpise :) they are hiring people who started coding when they were kids as opposed to people who picked up SE in college no way!

I don't think this is true, I went to a very small not well known college in Canada and a classmate of mine went straight to Google after finishing his CS degree.

Good companies generally hire off of provable skills not "how early" you started learning.

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

#76

Post by joslin01 »

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…

What do you mean by the French try to assimilate people more? I'm confused because France is notoriously horrendous to tourists. I've seen polls rate it as the worst place for customer service with tourists and my own brother's experience got him nearly in a fight with some French guys bullying him.

Furthermore, this is just a cultural thing. I'm white and was in a team with a bunch of white engineers that loved cars and things. Our discussions at lunch bored me to tears and I came to realize I had to leave the mega corp to pursue my dreams in the start-up world.

When I arrived at the start-up world, I found people like myself -- people who didn't care so much about things but about ideas and imaginations. I was a lot happier because I found people who thought alike.

It never had anything to do with color and presenting this problem as purely color-based is just being intentionally provocative.

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

#77

Post by abricot »

systems wrote: post #50

“There are not a lot of people of color in the Valley—and that, by itself, makes it kind of unwelcoming” i dont like this attitude, i am not sure what is should be called, but you should feel relaxed in your own skin, accept diversity, and dont mind it when most of the people around you, are not the same color why is it unwelcoming ... maybe not what you hope for, but why call it so negatively

"There are a lot of black people, and I'm white, so that's kind of unwelcoming".

I wouldn't have used that argument in any discussion...

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

#78

Post by rquantz »

x1024 wrote: post #34
rquantz wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

And of course that's what you jump to. I certainly do think there should be affirmative action in the medical profession, and there is.

I don't for a minute believe it is necessary to have been coding since you were 12 in order to do most jobs in Silicon Valley. But if companies decide to discount people because of it, then you will absolutely filter out people who come from lower economic backgrounds.

This is a great example of institutional racism.

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

#79

Post by wooger »

PaulHoule wrote: post #39
MollyR wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

The hero is a white woman - Finn is a bumbling sidekick.
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