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Can I make a living being a black male in tech?

I feel like that it is a burgeoning field. I see a lot of black people on tech panels who never built a product or code, who are racking up consulting dollars on how to find black people like me who do code or build products.

Or, should I be less cynical and just keep building cool products?

  • Tech doesn’t care about color. It only cares about what you bring to the table. If you build something cool, you will be perceived as cool. Simple as that.

    -R

    Reply

    • +1

      It’s not about ethnicity, it’s about product, traction and how good you are. Unlike traditional sectors (banking, consulting, etc), tech is actually pretty merit-based.

      Let’s hope it stays that way.

      Reply

  • Keep building products and your network!

    Tech prides itself on being meritocratic, previous poster may not experience the reality that it really isn’t.

    Will Lucas is podcasting a series of convos with some POC in tech in the US:

    of10podcast: 1/10 Makinde Adeagbo of Pinterest

    http://overca.st/ECBNM9COs

    Reply

  • Wtf! Go do a martial art or a combat sport and find out who you are. Or if that’s too much watch The Pursuit of Happiness. Get the fire burning and go for it. Life is too short for “what ifs”. There is always an excuse – race, gender, education…

    Good luck!!

    Reply

  • Racism in tech is everywhere, unfortunately. There are still tons of opportunities, though, especially if you’re very skilled. If you leave tech because of racism then the racists win. So I hope you’ll stay.

    Reply

  • You need to stop being judgey and supportive.

    The reason why there aren’t more blacks in tech is because of the resources they had while in school. We are at a turning point now where we will see more and more black technologists as funding in public school systems have increased over the years, but you have to remember that there are tons of white CEO’s on panels that haven’t coded a lick either. It’s not a black/white thing. It’s a how passionate and ready you are to build something.

    If all the creatives and business people left tech, the consumer products sector and half of b2b would die.

    If tech left, clearly, there would be just a bunch of people selling ideas.

    It takes both parties and for the historically underserved communities there is a natural lack in leadership that is going to be 100% equal because minorities arrived at the party later due to socioeconomic conditions. Sometimes there’s racism, but ask yourself if the problem is you and be honest.

    Reply

  • Why don’t you go start a company with one of those panelists? They clearly have something of value…

    No, you’d rather make excuses and hate them and yourself. Wake up! You wouldn’t be saying that about white leaders who can’t or don’t code on a panel. You prefer making it a black white thing so you don’t have to be accountable for your own career decisions. It’s easier to point fingers and blame rather than join up and help someone who could use you on their team.

    Reply

  • I will take a slightly different approach. OK, the who codes and who doesn’t based on color is dumb. Lots of White people who own tech companies couldn’t code to save their lives. Now, having said that, the statistics are clear in that tech companies have a horrible record in regard to hiring minorities. That’s not a judgment, but a fact shown by their transparency reports. So, you have two choices: accept that and let it get to you, or get so good at your craft any company would be a fool to not hire you. The second choice is to build your own start-up. There is a group on meetup I think called Black People in Technology. They do lots of activities at tech events, and are looking for Black coders who can teach others how to do it. Whichever you decide, don’t let anyone convince you that you are not good enough based on color. Happy coding.

    Reply

  • you’re either slinging crack rock or got a wicked jump shot..

    .. or can become a twice elected president of the united states

    .. or an astronaut

    .. or an astrologist chief science spokesperson

    but nothing more than this..

    unless you’re a musician

    or an actor

    or a poet

    but nothing more than this

    especially not in tech

    Reply

  • C’mon! we’re getting tons of applications to our startup from experienced and curious black coders, on angellist. What’s your concern, anyways? is it that you haven’t met black fellow tech guys to work with, or is it your observation that black professionals tend to take over consultancy roles rather than do coding?

    Reply

  • Anyone who thinks tech is a meritocracy is an idiot and I am guessing that they are also white and male.

    It is going to be harder for you. Simple as that. What you need to do is try to use it to your advantage. The panelists are right. Play the angle. Use your color for you instead of letting it be used against you.

    Reply
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