Thread by @TheJobfather__

Honestly, I'll never forget the day I first helped someone get a job that paid over six figures. He was a Java Developer that was workin on contract for YEARS. He explained the cycle of working somewhere for a few months and then taking extended (forced) vacations because he had

To go through the Job Hunt every few months, in a highly competitive market. What changed for him? He had a son who was going to be starting Daycare that fall. This Father wanted to make sure he had the stability for his family. He said to me,

"Jermaine, I just want 100, 110k and maybe a day working remote so I can take my son to daycare."

We ended up getting him 130k and total flexibility to Work from Home or the office whenever he wanted. I swear the grin I had on my face when he walked into the office.

To sign his paperwork was one of the best days of my life. He literally walks in with THE BIGGEST smile on his face, tears in his eyes. He's crying, I'm crying, we're hugging and jumping for joy. He's telling me random-ass facts about any and everything.

Like how the windows of the RBC building across from Union Station uses REAL GOLD in their glass to designate where the Trade floor is and how those windows are bulletproof. He introduced me to this book called Unf**k yourself (which literally changed my life.)

But most of all he talked about his Son. He talked about how he missed his son's first steps because he was interviewing for a job after a contract was completed. He was actually in pain of how much he missed in such a short time.

And now he would have a chance to witness those moments. It was such a sweet conversation. It really hit me about the opportunities that Tech can afford people. He's a great guy and a good friend that I keep in touch with to this day.

There was a part of me that said,

I wish he was Black. I was projecting obviously, selfishly I might add as I thought of my own Father. Of how he wasn't afforded such opportunities in life, and how he missed so many important moments in the lives of his children because he had to grind. 2-3 Jobs at a time.

At 54 he's just getting to a place now with his kids, where we're getting passed that resentment of him not being there. And I know others had it much worse because at least my Dad maintained some sort of presence. But I wonder what our relationship would be like

If his work allowed more time to be spent with his family. And I know I'm not the only one in my community who feels like this. I know there are still modern-day versions of my Dad who are trying their best to support their family but their presence in the household is missed.

That's such a conundrum. And I would give anything to ensure more Parents have that type of employment that affords them the chance to be with their families.

Tech can be this great Wealth and QOL equalizer for a lot of people in the Black community.

It hurts that we're so underrepresented and it hurts to see how so many Quality of Life (QOL) issues could be resolved in the Family unit, with just giving people access to Jobs that seek to empower them as well as improve their Life quality.

I always think of Little Jamaica and what it represented (represents) for the people of Toronto. The Jamaican community is afraid of losing our heritage spot to gentrification. Would that be an issue if there were a 1000 Jamaican developers making over six figures in the GTA?

Who knows....But I care to find out and I won't stop until we get as many Black people in Tech as possible. Black people have been robbed of our infrastructure to build wealth through systemic racism. You just need to look at Little Jamaica for proof of what that looks like.

Getting more Black people in Tech isn't just about being adequately represented in a High Impact sector. It's about the ripple effects that representation will bring.

Contributors today inspire the generation of tomorrow.

We just gotta make sure we equip our future the best we can. But yeah, sorry for the rant. I get emotional when I think about my Pops and how I wish things could have been different. That's why I go hard for getting Black people in Tech. I'd like to denormalize my experience.