For years, we have told Black students interested in technology to prepare themselves.

Earn the degree. Learn to code. Get the certifications. Build the GitHub portfolio. Practice the technical interview. Develop the soft skills. Become so qualified that employers cannot ignore you.

But what happens when being qualified isn’t enough to get you into the room?

That question has become increasingly important in the Trump era. Since returning to office in 2025, President Donald Trump has moved aggressively to eliminate federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and DEI requirements associated with federal contracting. The administration describes these actions as a return to merit, individual achievement, and equal treatment.

Whatever one’s political perspective, there is another question worth examining: What happens to qualified Black technology professionals when programs specifically intended to broaden access begin disappearing?

That matters because Black professionals were underrepresented in technology long before the current debate over DEI. McKinsey reported in 2023 that Black Americans represented about 12 percent of the U.S. workforce but only 8 percent of workers in technology jobs. The disparity was even greater in some technical occupations and at senior levels.

The challenge, therefore, has never been simply about developing qualified Black technologists. It has also been about connecting qualified people to opportunities.

That distinction is important.

A computer science degree demonstrates education. A certification demonstrates knowledge. A GitHub repository can demonstrate technical ability. But none of those things guarantees that someone will actually look at your résumé.

That is where networks become crucial.

Someone tells you about an opening before it is widely advertised. Someone introduces you to a hiring manager. Someone recommends you for an internship. Someone says your name in a room you are not in.

And that last example brings us to something even more powerful than networking: sponsorship.

A mentor gives you advice. A sponsor creates opportunities.

Research on Black technology professionals has specifically identified sponsorship as an important component of career advancement. McKinsey has argued that traditional mentoring alone is insufficient and that Black technology professionals benefit from people positioned to create networking, apprenticeship, and advancement opportunities.

This is why the retreat from DEI deserves attention beyond the political arguments surrounding it. Some DEI initiatives involved hiring goals or practices that generated legal and political controversy. But the larger DEI ecosystem also included HBCU recruiting, internships, mentoring, professional-development programs, scholarships, employee networks, and intentional efforts to introduce underrepresented candidates to people already inside the industry.

If some of those pathways shrink, the importance of building professional networks does not shrink with them.

It increases.

For Black students and professionals trying to enter technology today, my message is not to abandon the traditional formula. Quite the opposite.

Become technically excellent. Earn the credentials. Build the portfolio. Learn the industry.

But understand something else.

Being qualified may get you ready for the opportunity.

Relationships can help you get the opportunity.



In the Trump era, learning how to build those relationships may be becoming just as important as learning how to build the technology.