STEM Education And Jobs: Declining Numbers Of Blacks Seen In Math, Science

[Hawaiian Punch]

Exactly

Those labs are no joke and sometimes I feel science can be unfair to people who work even part time. I remember my first lab and lecture class was m/w 3:30- 5pm lecture then t/th 7-10 lab



But I've seen lecture and labs all over the place. It really starts to blow your mind when you realize you have other classes to study for, on top of trying be on top of a very accumulative and dense subject. So I can't really knock others for dropping, because passing comes down to willpower and endurance; and burn out is real...

Real talk homey. I remember one year I had two Chen classes some other science classes and 3 labs. Each lab had a weekly assignment that really wasn't due until the end of the semester. shyt is there just reaches at point in the semester where the work becomes overwhelming. I remember reaching a point where I literally lived in the library. I really did. My roommates used to joke whether I still lived in the dorm, but that's easy to say when you a liberal arts major..

I sacrficed so much personal time, from the extra lab hours, to all day Friday classes, lab study workgroups, tutors, etc. shyt was no joke brehs.

I personally don't like the narrative that everyone should be a stem major. Do I want to see more black folks go into it? Hell yes! I'm tired of being a black dot on a white shirt at conferences. The reality is I want people that are willing to commit and sacrifice. These classes are real and once you fall behind Game Over. I had no problem putting in the extra hours and using tutors when necessary. Plus I respond best under pressure. shyt is like a drug imo. Most people don't. They get stressed out and quit.

 

[Poitier]

use phrases instead of in-depth responses because you've run out of talking points, brehs

nice banner

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Real talk homey. I remember one year I had two Chen classes some other science classes and 3 labs. Each lab had a weekly assignment that really wasn't due until the end of the semester. shyt is there just reaches at point in the semester where the work becomes overwhelming. I remember reaching a point where I literally lived in the library. I really did. My roommates used to joke whether I still lived in the dorm, but that's easy to say when you a liberal arts major..

I sacrficed so much personal time, from the extra lab hours, to all day Friday classes, lab study workgroups, tutors, etc. shyt was no joke brehs.

I personally don't like the narrative that everyone should be a stem major. Do I want to see more black folks go into it? Hell yes! I'm tired of being a black dot on a white shirt at conferences. The reality is I want people that are willing to commit and sacrifice. These classes are real and once you fall behind Game Over. I had no problem putting in the extra hours and using tutors when necessary. Plus I respond best under pressure. shyt is like a drug imo. Most people don't. They get stressed out and quit.

but you can't get more people in it without telling them to suck it up

 

[Hawaiian Punch]

There are a lot of misconceptions in this thread. I work in a position where I see what everyone makes.

Entry level engineers make about 120k now. This is for four year degrees, and we aren't talking Ivy League schools here.

To put things in to perspective, at CPA at a public firm would need to reach senior manager to make that much, and that is 10 years of hell.

Engineers work until 6pm and go home. this is something that entry level accounting and finance employees cannot do. I can't stress how important that is. Engineers have true work/life balance whereas most professions do not.


What is unique about blacks and STEM? Blacks have low representation in nearly all the professions. I work at a 1200 empoyee firm, and that is just one office in my local area. Granted I am rarely at the office, but when I am there, I rarely see African Americans especially those who are not African immigrants. Of the 1200 employees, about half are Asian and half are white, which is the same composition at nearly every company (tech, finance or whatever) in this area.

My company has blanant affirmative action policies and the recruiters have URM diversity incentives and it is still VERY difficult to fill our ranks with African Americans and Hispanics. There just aren't a lot of African American candidates period.

But rather than focus on the negative what about the positive? I don't think that work campuses have ever been so diverse in this countries history. So many south Asians, Arabs, Eastern Europeans, East Asians and etc.

Why do you post on the coli? Every single post you make is something derogatory about black people. You stay talking that slick shyt and I'm tired of it. I honestly wish people like you would disappear off the face of the earth. You make this world bad with your biased views. Looking at your rep I see others are feel the same way too.

 

[Serious]

but you can't get more people in it without telling them to suck it up

No you get more people in it by fixing this anti academic culture

 

[Hawaiian Punch]

but you can't get more people in it without telling them to suck it up

I think you get more people in it via interning and exposing kids to this as a viable career option. I feel like in the hood you may see a lawyer, accountant or some television personality. Where in that equation do you see scientists? Engineers? You don't.

What made me different was I was a science nerd growing up. Star Trek and bill nye and shyt. I embraced my inner nerd and never hid that. I feel like you have to change the culture. Showing how math actually helps in the real world. Or how science teaches us about the world. Or how engineers and techs build the world.

 

[Serious]

but you can't get more people in it without telling them to suck it up

But seriously I think a lot of people are interested intrinsically, at least from all the i love science and pie references, I've seen online through fb post and other media, but many people struggle with just getting past watered down entry level intro courses....The solution revolves around tailoring the curriculum to keep people interested...

 

[Serious]

Man I remember watching this documentary in disbelief. Kids in hs just don't have the interest in science:
Peep the 20 minute mark.

 

[DEAD7]

@Napoleon did winning woat auto tank your rep? or did niqqas

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

@Napoleon did winning woat auto tank your rep? or did niqqas

not sure, but you can help a brother out...

 

[DEAD7]

not sure, but you can help a brother out...

Aren't you Turkish or some sh*t?
I remember seeing a thread in TLR exposing you as a hindu lab worker pretending to be black...
Now that you've won woat, level with me... why pretend to be black?

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Aren't you Turkish or some sh*t?
I remember seeing a thread in TLR exposing you as a hindu lab worker pretending to be black...
Now that you've won woat, level with me... why pretend to be black?

I'm black.

I don't know who started that shyt.

Long story short...a long time ago, people never thought I was black even when I said I was...so once just to go along with it, I said "i'm not black"

I am though. But its the internet...so who cares

Someone searched post histories and found that SINGLE time I said it, and went on to say I must be indian or something. Weird.

Then I posted pics of my HAIR showing I'm clearing a black male with curly (might I say sexy) wavy hair and black skin complexion.

 

[How Sway?]

Well people want job experience and certs over anything else. The bachelor's degree and masters degree is almost worthless nowadays, even in STEM. There are IT workers that make less than 50k with CERTS. Higher education is putting people in debt that shouldn't be. Tuition is hyper inflated as it is and no one seems to do anything about it.

If anything, we need more Union jobs to close the wealth disparity in America. STEM alone can't save the middle class and very few people are talented inSTEM.

I hope your not being serious

 

[Camile.Bidan]

Why do you post on the coli? Every single post you make is something derogatory about black people. You stay talking that slick shyt and I'm tired of it. I honestly wish people like you would disappear off the face of the earth. You make this world bad with your biased views. Looking at your rep I see others are feel the same way too.

What biased views? that there very few Africans Americans in the professions including STEM--that is a biased view? That appears to an objective fact.

Is a lack of qualified black candidates a biased view? That also appears to be an objective fact.

The reasons as to why there is a lack of black candidates is not something that I have answer for because my profession is quite intellectually "light-weight", technically simplistic and overall easy. The entry-way into this profession isn't paved with High SAT scores and Ivy League degrees. Yet, even with this low hurdle of entry and even Lower GPA and resume reqs specifically for
Blacks, blacks still are under represented...significantly.

Are these Slick words? No they aren't. They are a symptom of a growing and alarming emergency situation in the black community with long-term consequences.

 

[Kooley_High]

Im majoring in engineering right now and decided to do the 5 years track instead of 4 to lighten the load and to be honest what most cats in here saying about the difficulty of the major is true. Engineering and other STEM field majors aren't for everyone first of all and some people are never going to understand to concepts no matter how much try. Im sad to say it but its true. It takes alot of patience and sacrifice to succeed in STEM and some aren't up to par with the difficulty. But I do believe that in order for us to get more blacks to succeed in engineering/STEM we need to give them more exposure at a young age to the science field overall while breaking the whole whole nerdy geek image that's purported in holly-wood about smart people.

But seriously I think a lot of people are interested intrinsically, at least from all the i love science and pie references, I've seen online through fb post and other media, but many people struggle with just getting past watered down entry level intro courses....The solution revolves around tailoring the curriculum to keep people interested...

True 100%. Most of the courses im taking are math and science heavy but rarely hands on. From what i've seen the students who had hands on experience through a club or research had a more in depth understanding and will to stay in the major. I'm trying to get involve in some clubs right now cause its really hard to stay focused on the major when your not even using anything your taught.

I typically avoid threads like this because I am a black stem grad. I honestly don't have any answers other than it not being an attractive field. There is nothing sexy with taking organic chem with pimply face cacs. Most black folks I went to school with majored in psychology, business, or communications. Math and science is tough and is sink or swim. Plus with 1 credit 3 hour lab classes, you end up taking 6 to 9 hours more class time than other majors. That's a lot to deal with and most people, not just black, avoid it. For me it was common to take classes with only 6 other people, or see a class of 40 dwindle down to 15 by midterms. Was it worth it? For me yes, but it is not for everybody. It requires discipline and consistency that's hard when you 19 and wanting to party.

This is true too. Tbh I don't think black people seeing smart people as nerds and lames is solely a black issue. That's an issue with every group across the board and I think its do to movies and television. Everyone that goes into college has this big idea of partying and clubbing all the time thinking "its our last chance to party" and it drastically sways their major choices. Also thinking that the STEM field is filled with asocial non-hygienic, swagless dweebs does help with enrollment at all.