Silicon Valley Disrupts Discrimination: Now It’s for Middle-Aged White Guys, Too (opens in new tab)

There's a lot that would need to be done. I don't think the answer is just "oh tell companies to hire more minorities/older people/{insertGroupHere}". Something needs to be done to change the perception of intelligence & ability in our country/world, and it probably starts on the individual/family-level. From the time we're born, we have these images crammed down our throats "people who look like this do this", and then many of us subconsciously internalize this and treat this as "the norm". We set our own expectations (internally), and then this gets reflected out externally.

I can only speak from my own perspective as black male in his 20s (so not the age problem described in the article), but it was the fact that I was raised to NOT buy into & instead be critical of stereotypes of "what black males are supposed to do" that I even allowed myself to believe that I could start learning C++ — when I was 10 years old.

Had I spent most of my time watching/INTERNALIZING what's on BET, the news, TV, I would probably feel like there's no chance for me in tech, and I wouldn't even consider it as a possibility — therefore never apply for the job, or apply to college for a CS degree, or subconsciously set myself up for failure.

Mind programming has subtle, but POWERFUL impact on the young developing mind. I'm realizing this all later and all I can say is "holy shit, I'm grateful. Thank you, parents. Bullet dodged."

Thanks for both of your comments. They remind me of something I recently learned from a General Assembly Front Row class - that there are passive and active approaches, both of which can be equally valuable, to solving every problem.

@jtfrench, you've outlined a passive approach for an individual to take in the sense that this is something you can do internally to adjust your expectations and envision your success.

@bane, you've outlined a proactive approach for an individual to take in the sense that this is a proactive tactic one can use to find jobs.

I believe if individuals both take these, and other, passive and active approaches they will best position themselves for success. At the same time, there is a third part of the equation - which is the role of others in someone's success. This begs the question: what are the passive and active approaches others in HR and in the community can take to mentor, prepare, and offer opportunities to diverse talent?

Ultimately, we all need to work together to proactively bring diverse talent on board, since as the article points out, "this casual discrimination has been bad for business."

Expand the hiring pool.

Attend any of the thousands job fairs that go on all over the country and at every university and aren't a top-5 metro area and top-10 university.