If we are going to close the digital divide and increase the representation of African Americans who pursue careers as software developers we must change the mindset within our communities.  I have lamented for years when folks make public comments indicating that there is not a pipeline problem when it comes to the low numbers of Blacks working in technology careers.  That is nonsense.  I don’t care at what point you wish to examine the pipeline, when it comes to African Americans they are leaks.  But I digress.

The genesis of my decision to focus this post on mindset has to do with a situation that I observed recently.  As of November, I have become a volunteer.  I am teaching computer science to 9th graders as part of a Microsoft Philanthropy known as TEALS.  TEALS stands for  Technology Education and Literacy in Schools.  It is a great program and I was excited and honored to be a part of it.  I am part of a cohort that teaches Python programming to a high school students.

The first day of class I was very excited to conduct my first class on programming in Python.  I should mention that these classes are taught virtually and they are somewhat early in the morning.  I am in the Pacific time zone so for me the class starts at 6:30 AM.  I believe that for the students the class starts at 8:30 AM.  My excitement was immediately met with indifference.  I was shocked.  I was under the impression that these students would be excited about the opportunity to learn a skill that could be life changing from an economic standpoint. 

These classes are free and they are being taught by someone who has had a successful career of 30 years in software development and they are learning a programming language that is in high demand.  The students literally had their heads down on their desks as if this was a rest period.  Most if not all were not paying any attention whatsoever to what I had to say.  I felt like I was talking to myself.  At one point, I tried to engage them individually to no avail.  This experience was very disheartening. 

This is unacceptable.  While I understand that there may be mitigating circumstances.  Trust me I do.  As I stated at the outset, I come from a situation where I was not always in an ideal environment for learning whether that be challenges at home or in the neighborhood that I grew up in.  We have to find a way to change the mindset of our young people, or at the very least do our best to provide a environment, where they can have the attitude and mindset to take advantages of the very opportunities that may help them to change their circumstances.