and with all those jobs requiring a degree in Black Studies out there too... who'd a thought???
Posted on 05/07/2011 7:40:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
As graduation season rapidly approaches, black college graduates may face a greater burden in the job market than their white counterparts. Black college graduates are twice as likely to be unemployed as white college graduates.
The recession has only worsened this problem. Unemployment among blacks is disproportionately higher than the rest of the population.
Reasons for this trend include black students are not adequately prepared for the job market. They may have the degrees, but they lack the connections or professional skills to be successful in the workplace.
Students may have the knowledge, but not the resume; or the resume, but not the knowledge. Also, since many current black college graduates are first-generation college students, they may not have the same professional networks within their families that white college graduates may have.
Even when black people have significant professional and networking opportunities, race can still play a role in their employability. The New York Times cited a study that said Caucasian, Asian and Latino managers hired a greater number of white job applicants and fewer black job applicants than black managers did.
Other concerns and signs of more covert, and possibly even unconscious, racism included the tendency to hire candidates with less "ethnic-sounding" names or candidates to whom they felt they were a better fit for the "cultural environment" of the workplace.
The presidency of Barack Obama was also cited as a possible challenge to the employment of black college graduates. Since many people feel that President Obama's election demonstrated the limitless possibilities for black people, black job applicants are more likely to be seen as playing the victim if they express their feelings about racism or cultural bias in the job application process.
In some ways, Obama's election also diminished the severity of the need for programs and opportunities targeted toward cultural diversity in the workplace. Therefore, attempts to level the playing field of opportunity have decreased, leaving many black college graduates to continue to combat discrimination with, what is often viewed as, an old argument and with less ammunition.
Regardless of the reasons for the disparity in employment rates, black college graduates must navigate the job market the way it is now. Lack of opportunity can only be countered by continuing to be proactive.
Pro-activity does not just mean training harder or longer to improve or increase skills and marketability or working consistently to build connections.
If there are no opportunities available, black college graduates must create their own because entrepreneurship is the only definitive solution to the problem of employability. The difficulties associated with working for others decrease if we take steps to work for ourselves.
Even Bill Cosby's addressed this topic. He also said enough of the stupid names for black kids. One black mother threatened to sue her daughter's school because they didn't pronounce her name correctly. The name was La-sha. The mother said: "Any fool knows the name is pronounced La Dash Ahh. The dash ain't silent!"
Who knew?
Plus a lot of these degrees are completely meaningless. I seriously believe now that higher education is a complete waste of time and money. If one would have to go to college, they should choose a technical or specialized college instead of a state-run university.
How are the engineering programs at these colleges?
Most of the people I know who have real money are in some variant of sales and/or business ownership. A degree has little to with it.
Booker T said this over a century ago but the progressives worked really hard to shut the message down...
Once in the company as a FT employee, there are minority councils, minority activity groups, and senior executives are required to actively "sponsor" and work with these groups.
During promotion periods, company policy demands that minorities be given additional consideration. While I can't confirm that a quota exists for promotions, raises, and advancements into management, I know that metrics are kept. (Some of this is for legal reasons.) Regardless, if a black person is remotely competent, and shows an interest, they will be promoted, many into management.
So no opportunities? No networks? I don't buy it.
Nice kill shot.
Let the kids have “Black Studies” as a minor but give them the knowledge and skill to earn that job after graduation.
There’s a variety of reasons (or excuses) but let’s not discount the street “culture” and peer pressure. The principal of my kids’ school talked about how she was taunted, accused of “acting white,” while growing up. When she arrive at our school, several of the janitorial staff had been her taunting contemporaries.
Great article by a black liberal journalist who experienced an epiphany when he taught at Stillman for a couple years:
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/20/Opinion/A_dream_lay_dying.shtml
Howard University offers 102 majors in 25 areas of study
Architecture (1 majors)
Architecture (BArch, BA/BS, MArch, MA/MS, PhD) View 7 additional Architecture majors that are available at other schools
Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender studies (3 majors)
African Studies African-American/Black Studies Women’s Studies View 31 additional Area, ethnic, cultural, and gender studies majors that are available at other schools
Arts visual and performing (8 majors)
Art/Art Studies Dance Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts Fashion/Apparel Design Film/Cinema Studies Interior Design Music Theatre/Theatre Arts Management View 42 additional Arts visual and performing majors that are available at other schools
Biological and biomedical sciences (10 majors)
Anatomy Animal Genetics Biochemistry Biology/Biological Sciences Genetics Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology Microbiology Pharmacology Pharmacology and Toxicology Physiology View 63 additional Biological and biomedical sciences majors that are available at other schools
Business, management, marketing (9 majors)
Accounting Business Administration and Management Business, Management, Marketing & Related Support Services Fashion Merchandising Finance Hospitality Administration/Management Insurance International Business/Trade/Commerce Marketing View 74 additional Business, management, marketing majors that are available at other schools
Communications and journalism (5 majors)
Broadcast Journalism Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs Journalism Radio and Television View 13 additional Communications and journalism majors that are available at other schools
Computer and information sciences (2 majors)
Computer Systems Analysis/Analyst Information Science/Studies View 21 additional Computer and information sciences majors that are available at other schools
Education (10 majors)
Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services Early Childhood Education and Teaching Education Educational Leadership and Administration Elementary Education and Teaching Physical Education Teaching and Coaching Reading Teacher Education Secondary Education and Teaching Special Education and Teaching Teacher Education/Profess Development, Levels & Methods View 82 additional Education majors that are available at other schools
Engineering (5 majors)
Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering Mechanical Engineering Systems Engineering View 34 additional Engineering majors that are available at other schools
English language and literature (1 majors)
English Language and Literature/Letters View 6 additional English language and literature majors that are available at other schools
Family, consumer and human sciences (2 majors)
Child Development Consumer Economics View 25 additional Family, consumer and human sciences majors that are available at other schools
Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics (5 majors)
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics French Language and Literature German Language and Literature Russian Language and Literature Spanish Language and Literature View 46 additional Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics majors that are available at other schools
Health professions and clinical sciences (15 majors)
Clinical Laboratory Science/Medical Technology/Technologist Communication Disorders Sciences and Services Dental Hygiene/Hygienist Dentistry (DDS, DMD) Health and Medical Administrative Services Health/Health Care Administration/Management Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist Medical/Health Management and Clinical Assistant/Specialist Medicine (MD) Nursing/Registered Nurse (RN, ASN, BSN, MSN) Occupational Therapy/Therapist Pharmacy (PharmD [USA], PharmD or BS/BPharm [Canada]) Physical Therapy/Therapist Physician Assistant Public Health View 183 additional Health professions and clinical sciences majors that are available at other schools
History (1 majors)
History View 5 additional History majors that are available at other schools
Law and Legal studies (2 majors)
Law (LLB, JD) Legal Professions and Studies View 16 additional Law and Legal studies majors that are available at other schools
Mathematics and statistics (1 majors)
Mathematics View 6 additional Mathematics and statistics majors that are available at other schools
Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies (2 majors)
International/Global Studies Nutrition Sciences View 22 additional Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary studies majors that are available at other schools
Parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness (2 majors)
Health and Physical Education/Fitness Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies View 4 additional Parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness majors that are available at other schools
Philosophy and religion (1 majors)
Philosophy View 10 additional Philosophy and religion majors that are available at other schools
Physical sciences (3 majors)
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Chemistry Physics View 28 additional Physical sciences majors that are available at other schools
Psychology (4 majors)
Counseling Psychology Educational Psychology Psychology School Psychology View 18 additional Psychology majors that are available at other schools
Public administration and social services (2 majors)
Public Administration Social Work View 5 additional Public administration and social services majors that are available at other schools
Security and protective services (1 majors)
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies View 15 additional Security and protective services majors that are available at other schools
Social sciences (4 majors)
Anthropology Economics Political Science and Government Sociology View 14 additional Social sciences majors that are available at other schools
Theology and religious vocations (3 majors)
http://www.howtogetin.com/colleges/howard-university/majors.php
and with all those jobs requiring a degree in Black Studies out there too... who'd a thought???
Back in 2006 when my contract was being negotiated, I spent 4 months at a temp agency right after university. It was a call center for a law firm and 80% were blacks. The lone Mexican guy and girl became my buddies because we were ‘surrounded’. Just like any race, I learned 2 kinds of black people. The “non ghetto” blacks are awesome to get along with. The GHETTO homeys? They are the worst. Even the mexicans, Asian employees could not get along with them.
The job market is tough for ALL Americans right now, for graduates and non-graduates. With all due respect, I’m so tired of the whining and victimization stuff. All of these graduates sat in the same class every other graduate sat in. And the bar has been lowered by affirmative action enough already! The bar has been lowered so far on our police and first responders that we’re hiring illiterate thugs and then wondering why there are so many LE mistakes being made.
I’d wager that if you look at black graduates with degrees in real disciplines like, business, science or engineering, their employment rates are on par with the rest of the population. Minorities who can’t find employment often majored in ethnic studies where there is only room for a few Ward Churchills and Lamont Hills to make their mark.
As affirmative action decreases, the employability of the black American should slowly and steadily improve.
Affirmative action has made basically the entire adult population assume that a black person in any job is only there because he’s black, not because he’s the best person for the job.
It is a lousy insult to competent black Americans and only the elimination of affirmative action will begin the process of black people being looked upon as TRULY of equal worth as whites.
“They may have the degrees, but they lack the connections or professional skills to be successful in the workplace. “
I call BS. When I graduated college in the early 1970s, our class was told flat out that white males were “overrepresented” in the local job market, and that the minority females (even with D averages) were the ones to be hired.
And here we are, 35 years after this massive affirmative action push, and we now have this attitude that jobs are rewards to be handed out, not careers to be earned and maintained.
That’s why I’ve been self employed pretty much ever since.
“Other concerns and signs of more covert, and possibly even unconscious, racism...”
Just a question...has anyone ever done a study to estimate what percentage of Diversity Officers are Caucasian? Asian? Hispanic? The results would be interesting.
“The Affirmative Action pedigree is not worth the paper it is printed on for one!”
And that’s the real problem with black unemployment among black college graduates. No one can tell anymore if a black candidate’s credentials are meaningful. Is the black candidate with a college degree someone who did well in college and deserves their degree or were they simply handed a degree because they are black?
Affirmative action has cheapened the value of credentialed black folks and works a tremendous hardship on those blacks who earned their college degrees the good ol’ fashioned way, burning the midnight oil and working their asses off, because black folks with any sort of credentials are now automatically suspect as possibly not having earned their credentials.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.