Omar Brown graduated from CSUDH in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance but entered the tech workforce shortly after. Photo Courtesy of Omar Brown
By Tierra Booth, Campus Life Editor
Omar Brown had always taken his education very seriously. During his collegiate years at California State University, Dominguez Hills, he studied business administration with an emphasis on finance. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in May 2020, he realized that he wanted to pursue a different career path. He instantly began to research different fields that he might be interested in until he finally reached one – technology.
Tech is currently one of the most rapidly spreading career fields. This includes computer programming, database management, network security and software engineering. If a person isn’t interested in the technical aspects of tech, there are numerous roles that don’t involve coding such as product manager, user experience designer, operations manager and system administrator.
At the time, Brown had little knowledge regarding the field which led him to join a program that would educate him in every area needed. He wanted to make sure that he was receiving the best knowledge he could from this program to effectively take on a position in this field.
He attended the software training institute Codesmith which has a 5% acceptance rate. Graduates of the program are historically known to become employed by some of the best technology companies including Google, Hulu, Snapchat, Netflix, Meta and Microsoft. Throughout his time at Codesmith, Brown devoted countless hours to studying and learning as much as he could. Coding is not for everyone and can be difficult, but he never gave up and got better over time.
It was here that Brown developed a passion for software engineering. He was now able to design and create computer systems and applications that helped solve a variety of different problems including collaborating with shareholders, designing a team to deliver a positive user experience and testing applications.
Being the only Black man in his cohort, the program also opened Brown’s eyes to the lack of diversity within the tech industry. According to CNBC Make It, the tech workforce is only made up of 7.4% of Black employees compared to 60% of the white tech workforce. Diversity in technology is slowly improving over time; however, most people of color struggle with getting into the tech industry.
This meant Brown had to really prove himself and his place in the program, working 10 times harder than his white peers. He finished his program in October 2021 and received his official certification in software engineering. This now meant that it was time for him to address his next challenge – finding a job.
Over the past year, Brown had applied to numerous software engineer jobs but had no luck with most of them. He said, “The biggest challenge I faced so far was getting a job in the first place. It’s already a hard field to get into but I felt like being a Black man wanting to be in this field made it a bit harder.” However, this never particularly discouraged him but only motivated him to keep going.
“Something that really helped me during the application process was getting a mentor. It can be draining after constantly getting rejected but having a support system can help you get past that,” Brown said. He continued his search for months before eventually landing his dream job this past August working as a frontend developer with the IT services provider, Antra that helps businesses address technology adaptation, scale their businesses and reach their goals.
Since the field has been made up of mostly white men, breaking into the tech industry will bring forth more obstacles for people of color. Brown said he believes anyone can achieve their goals of working in tech if they go in with the right mindset and ultimately believe in themselves and their capabilities.
“I think it’s important to know that you can do it. It’s not as difficult as it seems though it is tough but nothing good comes easy,” Brown said. “It’s a great field to work in and there’s plenty of opportunities within it.”
Brown is still navigating his way through the tech field but remains positive in his journey. He said he will continue to work as hard as he can to prove his skills and abilities within his new role. Being able to fulfill his passion in the field helps him stay focused and driven.
Brown’s story shows us that anyone can be anything they want as long as they work for it and want it badly enough. “It’s just about applying yourself and staying focused and disciplined in trying to get what you want,” he said.
He also proves it’s possible that despite how a student’s college situation looks currently, they will figure it out along the way or even afterward. Brown hopes to be an inspiration to not only college students who may be struggling to find their path but also to other students of color who are debating pursuing a career in tech.
