For us to make progress in developing and improving the tech industry, we have to acknowledge and address two facts. First, the tech community is currently lacking in diversity. Second, historical and cultural limitations placed on certain groups can be to blame for such a lack of diversity. If everyone could see this, then I don’t think there would be as much outrage against diversity conferences or affirmative action. Rather, I think people would be more willing to accept the fact that we need things like these to open up a community that has been closed off to many and is currently unbalanced for unfortunate reasons. It is going to take more effort and extra consideration to open up this community and truly make it a welcoming place for all who are interested. The process is not going to be easy, both for people entering the community as representatives for their minority groups, and for the people who historically have an advantage in the community as they will have to give up some power. From the conversations we saw in class, it is tough feeling the pressure and expectations of being a minority going into tech, and it can also be difficult for those who aren’t a minority in tech to see others get extra help or consideration especially in the job market. No one said this process was going to be easy or completely fair, if there was a potential perfect solution to solving tech’s diversity problems, then there wouldn’t be a controversy in the first place. Regardless of whether we can get everyone to recognize the problem, it is absolutely necessary that we try to solve it. The tech industry is continuously growing and terms of power and influence on the world. Given the current scale of globalization, it is dangerous to have this power be exclusively dominated by a homogenous group. If tech is going to serve the world, then we should make sure that the people it are diverse in every sense of the word. Also, the tech industry is taking over the job market, and there may be a point where the majority of available jobs are going to come from this industry. If at this point the issues of diversity have not been improved, then women and minorities may severely economically suffer as they may be left out of the only jobs that will provide them a source of income. For a society that has been putting great effort into empowering its underrepresented groups, we could take a big step backwards if we do not address this issue. There are good efforts right now being made to address the issue of the lack of diversity, but it seems like there are still a lot of people in the industry who still don’t acknowledge the issue. True change will require more hands on deck, so as we try to fix these issues we must put effort into converting people to at least recognize the issue, and then hopefully progress will be expedited.
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In general I find the tech hiring process reasonable. There are a lot of things about it that can be fixed, but I find myself agreeing with Joel’s remarks from class that there is no such thing as a perfect hiring process. While whiteboard interviews can be stressful and may not have much to do with the actual work that is done on the job, I think they are a reasonable way to evaluate new grads going into industry. As long as the greater the focus is on how we work and communicate when trying to solve problems rather than the solution itself, I think companies can get a fair assessment on how you will work on a team. The typical questions asked are especially fair for new grads as they generally cover data structures and algorithms that we should have learned in college. I think it gets a little more blurry when we talk about interviewing industry veterans, as the focus should be on their experience rather than concepts they learned back in college. One concern with big tech companies is that I feel they do not seem to pay much attention to anything beyond technical skills in their interviews. I have been through an interview process that was four back to back whiteboarding interviews. I think I got a few quick questions about some of the technical stuff I worked on in my resume, but none of it felt behavioral. The Cracking the Coding Interview book talks about passing the “Can I have a beer with this person” test, which means whether one can work with this person, and I feel without a behavioral portion of an interview you are missing an important examination of one’s ability to work on a team, a necessary skill for software engineering. The other unfortunate reality of the hiring process for many tech companies is that while there are a lot of students that want jobs at such companies and apply to them, there are probably not even enough people at those companies to look at every application, much less give everyone a chance to show their skills at an interview. So just getting through the gate and even having a chance at an interview can be a result of luck and seizing opportunities. Connecting with the right people at career fairs and going to conferences can do wonders (if I could tell my incoming-freshman self one thing it would be to go to every conference you can go to), so like most professional industries, getting hired is not just the result of applications and interviews, as there are many other factors that go into it. Careerwise, I have been really blessed to go to Notre Dame, as the school encourages and provides resources for being proactive in your career search. However, many talented people with a lot of potential do not get as much resources or support but are definitely qualified for the tech industry. With that in mind I hope that hiring processes involve a deeper search for talent than simply looking at school names, as Bui reference when talking about his time at Eau Clare. Hiring people from the same schools carries the risk of having a lack of diversity and further giving future students from those schools a greater advantage thanks to alumni connections.
Overall, if I were to be identified by one thing it would be as a servant of God. That’s an identity I have to strive for everyday. This does not necessarily call for a life of religious vocation, as I feel like we all have opportunities to serve in our own unique way. Through my career, I hope to provide a quality service to the world. Careerwise, I do identity as a Software Engineer, as I hope to be a part of producing and maintaining technological solutions to people’s problems. I have been really privileged to be able to have studied Computer Science at Notre Dame and to have received the opportunities to gain experience at the places I have worked at. I want to make sure I make good use of the privileges by having a positive impact on the world, and I think the best way for me to do that is by being a Software Engineer. Yes I do share an interest with the hacker mentality of focusing on creation, but I have a passion for ensuring quality. While our generation has seen countless innovations, we must not forget all the tech controversies that have made much the general public skeptical about technology. Whatever I create or maintain as a Software Engineer, I want to make sure it is something that people can trust. The article “Programmers: Stop Calling Yourselves Engineers” made me upset, not just because of the accusations, but moreover the fact that the author’s points were valid. Currently, Software Engineers are not held to as high as a standard as compared to other engineers. This is worrisome, because given the role technology plays in our society, Software Engineers should be more than willing to hold themselves to such a standard. Sure, there is the excuse that this is one of the newer forms of engineering and it with that comes some learning experiences, but now we have plenty of examples to learn from in these past decades. There is no excuse for the tech industry to not clean up its act by now. There seems to be a stereotype for “techies”: that we are full of hubris and indifference, that we go to places like Silicon Valley to make a lot of money, flex our tech intellect, and do it all without a care for the places we are gentrifying or the people we could be harming through our production. This is the public perception, and there is a reality to such a thought, but as true Software Engineers we must work to prove such a perception wrong and regain public credibility. Technology is impacting people all over the world, and we must make sure that as producers of such technology that such people’s needs and wellbeing are being prioritized. I hope the world sees Software Engineers as people dedicated to crafting sound solutions that they can trust, same as they would see a civil or mechanical engineer. As a Software Engineer I see the world as our stakeholders, and the focus should be using technology to serve them. By serving others, we serve God, and that’s how I see my career identity complementing the life identity I strive for.
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AuthorMarcos Salamanca Archives
October 2019
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