Month: September 2019

In order for the computing and technology community to work towards creating a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive community, there needs to be two main components: equal standards and early nurturement. Equal standards mean everyone must be hired at the same plain-field, and one shouldn’t be favored over another because of gender or race, but only based on the factor of performance. A male shouldn’t be favored over a female despite having lower score on his interview just because he is expected to perform better since he is a male. But a female shouldn’t be favored just to fill the gender gap. Asians shouldn’t be favored because of certain stereotypes as much as how other minorities shouldn’t be put at a lower standard. Even if it might not help with the gender gap and issues revolving around minority representation, everyone should be judged with the same standards. So how do we actually solve the issues? It’s simply early nurturement. We should have more programs that expose younger kids to computer science and technology at an earlier start. We should have tutoring initiatives for those who are from underprivileged neighborhoods. Companies should host events and encourage others to take part of the coding movement. Just lowering standards for hiring is not going to solve any issues. Also, teaching younger kids will teach males that females can code as good as them. This will create an inclusive environment for coders in the future.

I went to a specialized public high school in New York City named Stuyvesant High School. To get into this school, students must get high scores on an exam called SHSAT, which is like a mini SAT. Majority of the students are Asian (approximately 65%). Blacks and Latinos make up less than 10% of the population. The numbers are not proportionate to the entire population of NYC. People have been saying that the tests are wrong because it discriminates against minorities and how there should be special exceptions for those from underprivileged districts. Some even proposed interview and recommendation process. However, majority opposed this move. Why? It is a fair process that is based off of merit. There is no bias or unfair exceptions that might come from recommendations and interviews. There are around 3 students each year who are given special privileges that do not do as well in school because they are not used to the pressure of academia. They basically took up spots from 3 students who could have performed better. Eventually, non profit organizations realized the problem was early preparation in middle school. There are now programs that help lower background kids to reach the levels of others.

This is the right method. Indeed, there should be fair, equal representation of every gender and race. However, we shouldn’t lower standards or have bias that might discriminate against others. What we should really do is promote more programs that nurture kids at an earlier age. This will boost education as well as show the males that females can code good as well.

My overall impression of the hiring process in my industry is a bit hazy. First of all, I recently changed my industry from software engineering to more of a UI/UX field. I am still researching and slowly learning about the process from online resources and LinkedIn connections. It is a quite difficult transition as I have been always trying to prepare to be a software engineer. Furthermore, from my current knowledge of the hiring process for tech companies, I am familiar with only the selection part, not so much of the negotiation and contract agreement parts. There are lots of YouTube videos and Reddit communities that provide great insight into getting hired and advice on to-do’s and not-to-do’s. For my prior software engineering preparation, I would say the book titled ‘How to Crack the Coding Interview’ was very helpful in getting me ready for the two past internship positions which were more coding focused. The greatest help, however, came from direct talk and reaching out to the actual people in the industry and seeing what they want from new workers. I wish Notre Dame provided more resources in terms of hiring preparation. I do appreciate how they bring people from Google to campus and hold talks on resume and interviews. I wish there were more electives and workshops that would expose students to different fields of computer science and technology. Other schools have minors or tracks in UI/UX and I wish there would be something similar. Furthermore, the curriculum does catch up towards the senior year, but it comes at a slow start in the beginning and hard for freshmen to get internships compared to other schools like MIT and Stanford. For example, although Ramzi allowed me to take Fund Comp as a freshman because I already took AP Comp Sci and knew I was going to be dedicated to this field, the dean did not let me. The number of electives are pretty limited as well. I understand that the CS program at Notre Dame is not big as others, but I wish this would be something the college improved upon. (Also, I am still confused why engineers cannot do a CDT minor with track in UI/UX.) Anyways, I am satisfied with the hiring process from what I know from my prior experience. I do wish companies would directly let us know that we failed rather not telling us at all. I am still confused about the negotiation part as I am not well experienced in that. Also, the way I was raised was to just accept what I am offered, rather than asking for more. This will be something I will need to work on. Overall, I would say its efficient. It is not completely based on meritocracy and some people still get in through connections or affirmative actions but companies seem to hire the right people most of the time. Going back to the start of my freshman year, I would tell my younger self to not to depend on the school as much. Grades for discrete mathematics or logic design do not matter as much. Its more of the projects and the skills I can show to the recruiters.

At a glance, I am just a typical Asian. I used to be in my high school’s math team. I was forced to attend martial arts classes. I major in computer science with a heavy nerdy interest in technology. And of course, I have glasses, that’s a must. Others might confuse me for someone else. Back at home in NYC, there are hundreds more of me.

But what makes me Joseph Han?

Although I admit I tend to match some stereotypes, I want to be unique and I know I am. Unlike most computer science majors, I love design with a huge passion in my heart. Instead of arguing about spaces versus tabs, I love editing frontends to make it more visually aesthetic, and I love it more when I see people enjoying the improved user interface. Rather than wearing hoodies and jeans to work, I prefer to wear something more chic. And I have come to realize more of how much different I am once I came to Notre Dame. I’m not the typical upper class, white Catholic student from a private school in the suburbs of Chicago. Contrastingly, I immigrated from South Korea and attended a public school in the east coast. As an immigrant currently living in a city known for its melting pot culture, I have been exposed to many different beliefs and traditions. It impacted me to view society with a more open mind and heart and learn that others have different opportunities from me.

I come from a humble background, but I wouldn’t say that I am not privileged. I am fortunate to have a father who is a pastor and raised me with great faith and belief. Both of my parents graduated from top universities in Seoul and understood the importance of education to achieve goals in life. There are some people out there who may not even live in a two-parent household and their parents might not be well educated or have the right morals. The religious upbringing and experiencing my parents working hard in a new country has provided me the insight of privilege and how some may have more or less than others.

The fact that I am attending Notre Dame and will graduate with a computer science degree has some privilege in itself. Other students do not get to attend such a prestigious college nor do they get to experience the benefits like good staff and career fairs. I am still confused as to how other people will perceive me. Will people just group me into the image of the upper middle class that other Notre Dame students are from? Or will I be able to hold a different identity, something that I truly am? That will be something I will find out as I go into the workforce after graduation.

For now, I will just remain as Joseph Han, a South Korean immigrant from NYC, and have an open mind and understanding that the world holds people from a wide range of backgrounds and privilege.