Young, black and female in tech
My experience getting into tech, sharing some tips and what it is like working with a team that is WOKE!
Hey, I’m Mai. A pandemic graduate working as a product designer at Twitter. I am publishing this article on a special day for many people that look like myself known as Emancipation Day. The 1st of August marks the anniversary of the day that slavery was abolished in the British Empire. A day to reflect on the progress made in ending the injustice of slavery and racism, as well as the work that remains to be done. This article will remark on my journey and illustrate what it is like working in a diverse team.
Buckle up! Let’s time travel to pre-pandemic
Pre-pandemic, a time when life felt normal. I was in university working hard envisioning a road map to success but something hit me — I’m black. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise because I have been like this my whole life. But, what were my chances of landing a job as oppose to my white peers? Why were there few people that looked like me in the industry? These were a couple questions that came to mind, and I needed to know the answers in order to prepare myself for the real world.
For the final term of our second year, students were asked to explore the subject of borders. Borders are often visible to us, defining a clear separation between two areas, but how do we illuminate a border that is invisible to us?This was my chance to understand what it was like to enter the industry as a black woman.
As part of my research, I looked into companies that had publicly shown the number of employees they had. Counting the number of people in their company, the number of people of colour and then finding out the number of black women.
0–1% of companies had a black woman
I was left in disbelief, lost for words when showing my white lecturers the spreadsheet in my hand. Asking “Do I have a chance?”
As part of my research I connected with people from the industry via LinkedIn asking if they could share their experiences with me. To my surprise so many had agreed to speak to me even meet face to face. Sharing their fears of applying to a job because their name alone could impact their chances or when having to disclose their ethnicity they put prefer not to say. A person can only hide their identity for so long and it’s unfortunate that they felt that they had to take precautionary measures simply to get their foot in the door. Once they do get an interview the next question would be “How should I present myself?”. I had attended a virtual workshop prepping students of colour for interviews. An interesting question popped up:
“How should I do my hair for interviews?”
This question was intriguing but it was a crucial one that so many people wanted the answer to. If you search for black hair on Google, you’ll see photographs of people with straight hair, but if you search for black natural hair, you will get an entirely different set of results. Our hair texture ranges from wavy to kinky to coily, and we do protective styles to reduce hair breakage due to the texture. Protective styling: a bun, braids, twists, locs, wearing hair extensions and a wig. Having hair like this often sparks some kind of curiosity, so the question wasn’t “how could I look nice?” but “how could I draw attention away from my hair?” the common response: a ponytail.
Applying for jobs was hard especially during the pandemic where most of the roles were for seniors but I would share my work on social media with friends and they would refer me for jobs. There is a hidden market out there and because I built relationships with people it helped me to be where I am now (I am super grateful for you all). Here is a tip that worked for me:
Before requesting a LinkedIn connection, do a Google search of the person. You might learn about something fascinating they have done or an article they have written so mention it in the note on your connection request. Also, mention how interested you are in learning more about their company or their industry.
The death of George Floyd was a catalyst for social change. Companies throughout the world advocated for change and made statements of internal changes they would make in their firms. Diversity has become the buzzword for change, but no one truly comprehends the magnitude of its influence until they are a part of it.
I am part of a community in my workplace that makes me feel included and I can see people that look like me that have made it which inspires me. But, it’s not just those who look like me that help me feel at ease; it’s also my coworkers who recognise their privilege and can comfortably speak to me. I could also jump onto a google meets call have my mindful meets plugin displaying the time and my colleagues would be mindful of the different time zones in meetings. The best part is having time off to commemorate significant events in black history that occurred in both the United States and the United Kingdom, not just during black history month. It’s great! My work is my passion and my environment helps me to grow.
I look forward to the future and I hope this article makes you too :)
