A Counterintuitive Way to Increase Diversity in Tech

Inclusive hiring is an incomplete solution

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You want to increase diversity in tech. You’re a person of privilege, probably white, passably male, perhaps even well-heeled. You already know the benefits of having a diverse and inclusive team: many kinds of eyes make for more insights and fewer surprises. It pains you to hear the sad stories of your underepresented peers. You want to help but don’t know how.

Does this sound like you? Great, you’re an awesome human being, and I’m glad you’re here!

But before you go running off to donate your time and money to bringing more folks-not-just-like-you into junior roles in tech, hear me out.

These conversations are so frustrating when looking for a new role.

I’m mid-career in the web development and design industry. And right now, I’m hearing a lot of the same stories from my fellow mid-career friends from underrepresented groups (women, minorities, LGBTQ, and more): you reach a certain point in your career and you can’t win.

I also hear from plenty of well-meaning, privileged colleagues who would love to see the situation improve, more women in management, more raises for people of…