CS majors who complain about diversity have unbelievable victim complexes

CS majors complain about “diversity hiring” and programs designed to benefit underrepresented minorities like it’s going out of style. Those people, who are passing the hiring bar, are not why you aren’t getting past interviews. A large number of programs designed to uplift minorities are generally just providing mentorship and interview prep which you can get anywhere if you look for connections. For example, your school. Things like GHC where companies attend that are looking to increase the number of women in software engineering are not getting unqualified women. They can pass the hiring bar. Some programs, like ColorStack, which are more selective, partner with companies for internships. But you have to apply to get into those. And the people who apply that aren’t in those programs aren’t being affected by the company’s partnership with a third party. Otherwise they would just reserve applications for those in the programs they partner with.

Companies want to increase the number of underrepresented demographics in tech because they value diversity. When you’re lamenting about how terrible it is that these programs exist, you’re telling on yourself in a major way that you don’t care whatsoever about diversity in tech. And for people who say it should be income based, not race based, plenty of FLI programs exist for that exact reason. The goal of companies is to increase the number of certain demographics in tech because they’re historically underrepresented, and companies value diversity. Diversity in income/background is included in this (which is why these FLI programs exist). And minorities make up such a small number of tech applicants . They’re not “stealing” your job.

Another major complaint is that it’s unfair that minorities have access to programs designed to increase representation. But the tech sector is still so sparsely populated by black, Latinx, Pacific Islander people and women of any race that clearly, these programs aren’t having a monumental impact. And you’re not failing every interview you’ve gotten because some unqualified minority stole your spot.

Then there’s the anecdotal stories that people like to throw out which they insist prove their point- about how their female/minority classmates are objectively worse than them and how they didn’t pass an interview or couldn’t get a job but their female/minority classmate did. To say that without having spoken to the same interviewer that you had when interviews are so variable is insane. You could say that about anyone. And, as a note, there is a factor of companies wanting diversity because diversity leads to innovation. People with different backgrounds and experiences are important to success. So when you have a severe lack of people with certain backgrounds, it makes sense you want to seek them out.

If women become over represented in tech, it would make sense to prioritize hiring. If black people become over represented in tech, it would make sense to end the programs designed to bring more in. But that’s not the case right now.

Also, a lot of you guys have horrific social skills and are likely extremely abrasive or unpleasant in the behavioral section of your interviews. Factor that in.

EDIT: There is one point being brought up repeatedly which I didn’t originally address- and that is how these programs are for under represented minorities, but do not generally include Asian people. I figured that would be obvious as to why. The programs are for groups of people that are under represented in tech. Asian people are over represented. These programs are designed to get more people from groups that are not present in the tech sphere into tech. If anything, it proves that these DEI initiatives and AA are not here just for the sake of minorities, and that they are specifically designed to increase the number of under repped tech applicants. Now, an argument is also being made that it’s unfair if Asian people from overwhelmingly one ethnic background are being represented, but Asian people are still being considered as over represented despite this. That issue lies in how the US defines race and is a much deeper issue- but I wholeheartedly agree that it is an unfair categorization of way too many people.