New Goals For inner City youth.
Before i dive into the content for this blog. i just want to give you guys some background about me. I’m a Bostonian , born and breed. i particularly take pride in being from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. if Roxbury sounds familiar to you, its because its home to Malcolm X and the the group New Edition. My point in stating this is that Roxbury is a primarily black , low-income community, and i wanted to dive into the goals and mindsets that many young people there and other similar neighborhoods across the country have.
The story of my youth is the story of 2 worlds. My parents never wanted me to attend BPS(Boston Public Schools)- so as soon as they METRO had an opening i was off. this is where being into two worlds come into play. my classmates at the school i attended were completely different from my neighborhood friends. of course they loved sports and entertainment just like any other kid would , but they also had other professions to reference. for example one of my friends early on wanted to be a dentist. you may be thinking a kid wanting to be a dentist. what the heck, how did a dentist surpass the likes of being an astronaut , or a NBA player or a professional gamer. but the reason this was his goal was that his parents were both dentist. this was his reference point. This isn't usually the case for inner-city kids who parents are likely to be in low-wage jobs. Because of this. in my opinion , is why inner city kids aspire to obtain these grand jobs such as rappers, singers, or to be professional athletes. The fact that they see ppl who look like them as well as came from a similar background make it in this careers,Appeals to them. They then gear their entire life on what is essentially a gamble to obtain one the these coveted positions in society. Now, that being said, there is nothin wrong on making a gamble for your dreams, but i firmly believe in not putting all your eggs in one basket, maybe that the finance professional in me , but it is what it is. i believe in having a fallback plan for , so in the case where your not able to obtain your goal you'll have something soft to land on.
Now let me throw some stats in your face. so i can put the likelihood of an individual becoming a professional Athlete is is not so great. Take a look a the graphic below to see the odds.
As you can see.
The odds are not in your favor.
As informative as this graphic is. it still doesn't account for those who make it professionally, but have a career ending injury or just happen to get cut from the team. Any one who has watched ESPN’s 30–30 would know that millions of dollars in a first contract doesn't equal forever.
Now, the point of this article isn't to stop you from your pursuing your dream. No, follow your passions, but be realistic about it and always have a backup plan in case things don’t pan out the way you dreamed. you still want to live a fulfilling life.
Why i think a career in Tech- specifically the Software development role can be a soft landing for some who fall short of their dream
Enter the the tech industry. A booming thriving industry. Now let’s take a look at our second infographic.
- Booming industry- Companies need developers
Every Single company needs developers. As the world becomes more Technical and connected, companies are needing people to help keep pace. Obtaining Dev skills is highly demanded and finding a job will be a cake walk once you get your feet wet working professionally.
2 . Great Pay
The Average Salary for Software developers is about $80K. Sometimes higher in regions where the cost of living is higher. Top Devs can earn $120K+.The numbers here really speak for themselves.
3. Career Flexibility
With Dev positions most companies are flexibility on how, when and where you work. This means there are plenty opportunities for remote work. If you’re the type of person who doesn't want to work for the “man”, then you can pursue freelancing or even pursue entrepreneurship and try launching your own company.
“When i think of remote work i think of being on an island beach, laptop on my lap and margarita in my hand”
All in All, i just wanted to highlight how tech, can be what more kids especially coming from inner city neighborhoods can aspire too. and how obtaining valuable tech skills can provide for them, not only on an individual level , but also for the community which they are apart of.
