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A Counterintuitive Way to Increase Diversity in Tech
Inclusive hiring is an incomplete solution
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.
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 color, more momentum across the board. But most of these folks are individual contributors, not managers or directors—not in a position to mentor people into senior roles or sponsor them for promotions. In short, while their heart is in the right place, they are in no position to do anything substantial to change the status quo. And this presents a problem.
No matter how many people from underrepresented groups we train for entry level positions, it means doodle squat if they don’t have upward mobility or can’t get hired due to bias.
Here’re some the hurdles facing many people from underrepresented groups embarking on their glorious career path:
- They aren’t promoted and hired into senior roles to advance their career.
- They are underemployed or under-utilized in their…
