Why are there so few black people in the tech industry?

• Blacks are consistently the most underrepresented demographic in the tech industry. I live in Seattle, have managed tech depts at 5 large corporations, viewed thousands of resumes and hired hundreds of people in various positions. How many of ALL of those resumes came from black people? Less than 10...(6 precisely) and I hired all but two of them (one wanted more $$ than we could offer, the other couldn't commit to a 1 year contract). The few black people I've seen around companies I've worked in are nearly always in sales or marketing. Is working in a technical field not cool enough or something? When I hear about rampant unemployment in the black community, I find it kind of disappointing that, at least in my experience, so few try to move into a field, that at least in Seattle is wide-open. It pays well and contrary to popular belief, while it certainly doesn't hurt to have one, you don't need a degree to get into it. If you can work on a car, you can work a computer. If you can customize a facebook layout or youtube page, you can do system administration. There is a learning curve and it will require some effort, but it's within reach and it's an industry that pays well. I got into the industry in 1994 and haven't made less than $80k since 2002,

• Answer:

  Coming from a African-American male, the general percentage is simply lazy.They want to make/get a lot for absolutely little to nothing on their end. It's like that in just about everything, and many don't appreciate hard work that actually requires them to think. Now, if I knew where to look in the tech industry in Jacksonville FL, then pssht I wouldn't be here right now. But what can a 19 year old do, right?