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Good pay and a strong job demand are among the factors that make the information technology industry an promising career choice. But a study by the Kapor Center shows Native Americans are significantly underrepresented in the IT workforce. The divide is even wider for Native women. Starting early — offering computer science instruction in high schools — is one way IT advocates say will move the statistics in the right direction. We’ll talk about that and why Native IT experts are needed.
GUESTS
Renita DiStefano (Seneca Nation), president and CEO of Second Derivative, LLC
Gary Burnette (Cheroenhaka Nottoway), current board chair for AISES and vice president of advisory consulting at Kyndryl
Richard Chance (Cherokee Nation), CEO and founder of First Americans Marketplace Exchange (FAME)
Rebecca Fisher (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians), account executive at Bulletproof (a GLI company)
Break 1 Music: Standing Rock [feat. Nick Ørbæk Jacobsen] (song) Uyarakq (artist) Miseraq (album)
Break 2 Music: Midnite Blues (song) Crystal Shawanda (artist) Midnight Blues (album)
Hi Richard. Chance!
Information technology very difficult in rural Alaska, and I expect in rural America.
The technology infrastructure in a digital age is not going to rural America.
Take the Digital Equity Act.
The funding goes to large companies and organizations in cities and urban areas who do the work on behalf of rural communities.
The equity stays in the cities.
How do we overcome the digital equity?
Having a phone is able to access the internet. But it doesn’t allow the skills to be developed on programs and applications on a computer in rural communities.
It’s frustrating to watch the funding for Digital Equity to go to the communities who do it on behalf of our Indigenous and Tribal communities.
Understanding how electricity affects the communication in radio waves and the history of the digital age can allow the mind to engineer the infrastructure of the information technology in computer sciences and network communications.
Then people can understand data analytics or the flow of control activities that allow people to manage data.
Most people in rural communities wear multiple hats, including being the IT troubleshooter. and have to figure things out.