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Black Collegian Career Center
Computing Your Future in San Jose-Silicon Valley
by Calvin Bruce
“Silicon
Valley.” Around the globe, the
name has a certain mystique. It
is generally associated with bold, venturesome, high-tech entrepreneurs whose
achievements have revolutionized our entire economy.
The myths surrounding Silicon Valley also perpetuate the widespread
belief that working in the high-tech industry is like riding a magic carpet to
instant fame and fortune. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Although many individuals have achieved notable success living and
working in Silicon Valley, others have enjoyed more modest measures of
professional accomplishment. A balanced assessment of what it’s like to live and work in
San Jose, California, (the heart of Silicon Valley) underscores the fact that
the Valley offers tremendous employment opportunities and, for most residents,
a rather comfortable lifestyle. However,
anyone expecting to relocate to San Jose to become an instant millionaire is
operating under fanciful illusions.Specifically,
what are the overall opportunities for minority professionals in general?
“Women
and people of color are definitely underrepresented in Silicon Valley
technology companies,” mentions Butch Wing.
He serves as the California Coordinator and Silicon Valley Project
Director for Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
“About
4% of African-Americans and 8% of Latinos work for these companies, which
represents about half of the available labor pool,” he points out.
“Furthermore, most of these jobs are in human resources or
administration, rather than in the higher engineering and information
technology positions.”
One
of the reasons for the economic disparity relates to the trend on hiring
skilled workers who lack U.S. citizenship.
According to Wing: “Not
all qualified people of color who are American citizens are hired, due to the
influx of technical professionals who hold H-1B visa status and are willing to
work for less money. Once these
companies hire them, their mobility is highly restricted.
This presents limitations on employment opportunities for minorities
who are not under this status.”
The
viewpoints of several other community and business leaders provide an
important complementary perspective on the employment landscape.
“The
community is supportive of all who want to achieve,” says Forrest Williams,
who retired after working 30 years as an IBM engineer.
“It is very competitive and rather hard at times to be successful,
but perseverance pays off. Everyone
competes at the same level, and quality performance yields success.”
Williams speaks from personal experience, both professionally and with respect
to his service to the community. In
1999, he was named San Jose’s “Citizen of the Year.” This honor was
accorded to him, he notes, “for my many years of volunteer service to the
community and for sustained efforts to mentor, train, and encourage minority
students to pursue their education through partnerships with their high
schools and industry.”
Ken
Jackson is owner of Innetix, a wireless Internet service provider in San Jose.
He provides this assessment: “If
you have technical skills in the Bay Area, you are in high demand.
Anyone who has skills in Unix computer science, or anything that is
computer hardware- or software-related—whether you are Black, white, blue or
green—there is demand for your talents out here.” Although opportunities
abound, there are some drawbacks, especially regarding the housing situation,
as we shall discuss. First,
though, let’s consider why San Jose is widely considered as a choice
relocation spot.
San Jose’s Community Appeal
Anyone
relocating to San Jose is immediately struck by the attractiveness of the
community and quality of life it represents. San Jose is a thriving metropolis
of 782,000 residents, ranking eleventh largest in the nation. It is the oldest city in California.
Location is one of the city’s drawing cards.
San Jose is situated midway between Monterey and the San
Francisco-Oakland Bay Area. It is
also within convenient driving distance to Santa Cruz, Gilroy and Palo Alto.
The San Jose International Airport is located ten minutes from downtown
and serves over 10 million passengers annually.
Increasingly, Silicon Valley is becoming a major destination for
business and pleasure-seeking travelers. Anyone accustomed to harsh Midwestern
or East Coast winters can easily adjust to Silicon Valley’s year-around
temperate climate. Residents
enjoy approximately 300 days of sunshine per year, with temperatures averaging
around 70 degrees.
Sights, Sounds, Sensations
Not
only is San Jose a bustling business community, it is also the hub of
cultural, social and recreational activity that keeps an ethnically diverse
population busy throughout the year. Sports enthusiasts can participate in the
San Jose International Triathlon. Billed
as the largest such event in the country, the summer Triathlon, held at Lake
Almaden, attracts thousands of local amateurs as well as international
professional runners. Also of
interest is the Mountain Bike Triathlon, held the same weekend this past June.
If you have the physical stamina to swim 500 yards, and compete in a
40-k bike ride and a 10-k run, this event should really pump you up. Spectator
sports offer lots of excitement for the community.
Soccer fans enjoy watching the San Jose Earthquakes.
The San Jose Sharks (a National Hockey League franchise) and the San
Jose Rhinos (a world-champion Roller Hockey team) also provide thrilling
games. Baseball enthusiasts can rally for the semipro San Jose
Spitfires, or drive northward 50 minutes to attend major league games hosted
by the San Francisco Giants or Oakland Athletics.
Other major league football and basketball franchises, respectively, in
the Bay Area include the San Francisco ‘49ers and the Golden State Warriors.
Less
intense recreational outlets include plentiful golf courses and driving
ranges, public pools and swimming clubs, camping and picnicking facilities.
Residents and visitors alike enjoy a state-of-the-art community ice
center, and a three-mile river walk connecting downtown to the airport.
Free downtown parking is another plus for the city.
Other nearby attractions offer stimulating sights, sounds
and sensations. Within an hour’s driving time, you can visit a 45-acre
ostrich ranch in Uva Canyon, Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo, or
Paramount’s Great America. Located
in Santa Clara, it is billed as “the thrill park with the most rides in
Northern California.” The numerous vineyards and wineries of northern
California offer another popular past time. Wine-tasting events throughout the
year are well appreciated by wine lovers of all ages.
The Cultural Scene
The
cultural life of San Jose is rich and diverse.
It includes everything from performances by visiting artist Luciano
Pavarati, the internationally acclaimed Cirque du Soleil, and popular musical
acts across the music spectrum. A broadly appealing cultural attraction this
past summer was “Music in the Other Park.”
This free, after-work concert series drew appreciative jazz fans to St.
James Park to wind down the busy workday with refreshing beverages and cool
music. “Dancin’ on the
Avenue” brought together families for street dancing, good food and other
festivities this past June.
Throughout
the year, many high-brow musical performances are presented by the San Jose
Symphonic Choir and the San Jose Symphony.
Additionally, the American Musical Theater of San Jose offers musical
performances that represent “full production and concert versions of
Broadway plays.” Rounding out the cultural scene are ballet performances by
Ballet International (among other troupes), Opera in the Park, Opera San Jose,
and concerts by the California Youth Symphony in Palo Alto.
Museum
aficionados have numerous outlets to feed their intellectual curiosity.
These include the Children’s Discovery Museum (the largest in the
West), the Tech Museum of Innovation—which captures the distinctiveness of
Silicon Valley—the San Jose Museum of Art, and the Egyptian Museum, which
features a recreated tomb chamber. The Red Ladder Theatre Company is a small
bilingual, multiracial company. Their
performances combine artistic expression with strong social issue themes.
According to their online description:
“By performing with, rather than for our audiences, we are able to
create an environment in which the participants are given the opportunity to
discover their own creativity and learn to make healthy choices for their
lives.”
The Business Climate
The
appeal of San Jose as a major relocation spot is not based solely on its
location and comfortable lifestyle. The
community is also noted for its strong economy and continuous initiatives for
robust economic development. According to its Office of Economic
Development’s online report, San Jose’s market profile is notable in many
respects. Specifically, San Jose
has been designated one of the safest large cities in the country (and the
safest for pedestrians). In major
business and trade media reports, the city is also considered to be one of the
best U.S. communities in which to live and work.
Steve Tedesco, president and CEO of the San Jose Silicon
Valley Chamber of Commerce, agrees with this assessment.
He comments, “Silicon Valley is a great place to relocate to,
especially for professionals who can contribute to our booming economy.
Not only do we have a thriving high-tech economy, we have a rich
mixture of minorities who blend into the business sector and the community at
large.”
The
broad ethnic diversity of the region consists of Asian Americans (24% of the
population), African Americans (3.5%), Hispanics (24%), and Native Americans
(3%).
Internet statistics further indicate why San Jose’s
business climate is so enviable. As everyone knows, the high-tech industry
rules Silicon Valley. In fact,
some 1,500 of the nation’s 2,500 largest electronics firms are located
there. This helps to account for
the fact that in 1997 San Jose ranked #2 out of 253 metropolitan areas in
terms of exports shipped to global markets ($29 billion). Yet, according to
Tedesco, “To fully appreciate the Valley’s economic vitality, it’s
necessary to understand the strength of the other major sectors of the
economy: commercial, industrial, retail, professional and the services
industry. These are areas in
which minority groups have made a significant and sustained contribution.”
In recent years, the
Redevelopment Agency of San Jose has spearheaded the renaissance of downtown
San Jose, which has sparked business growth in outlying areas.
Additionally, the Office of Economic Development and the San Jose
Development Corporation have been instrumental in charting the growth of the
business community.
Other organizations that have supplied leadership to
maintain the economic boom include the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the
Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, and the Santa Clara County Black Chamber of
Commerce.
Bridging the Digital Divide
Admittedly,
not everyone in Silicon Valley has reaped the rewards of the booming high-tech
economy. Addressing the disparity
between those who are ahead of the curve and those who lag behind is the
mission of the Joint Venture Silicon Valley’s (JVSV) program called
“Bridging the Digital Divide.”
“Joint
Venture started in the early 90s during a time of statewide economic
downturn,” mentions Jose Villarreal, Project Coordinator for JVSV.
Since its inception, the program has garnered support from leaders in
private industry (especially the high-tech corporations), state and local
governments, and educational institutions. “JVSV set out to foster economic
development by creating an environment that was conducive to Silicon Valley
companies. For the past year
we’ve been repositioning Joint Venture to focus on people,” Villarreal
explains. He adds, “Our new mission is ‘Joint Venture'—working to ensure
all people in Silicon Valley have the opportunity to succeed in the new
economy.”
One
of the main goals of the program is to educate minority groups as to what is
available in terms of resources that will empower them to be more productive
contributors to the new economy. Specifically,
the JVSV is attempting to bridge the digital divide—especially between
African-American and Latino communities—by means of a three-pronged
initiative. “Overcoming the ‘achievement gap’ is the first hurdle,”
Villarreal explains. “Students
need to understand the importance of excelling in science and math in order to
be prepared for higher education and opportunities to compete in the
workplace.” The second thrust is ‘workplace development’—that is,
teaching technical skills to individuals who are not technologically savvy.
This aspect of the program includes accelerated community college
courses in technical fields, such as Unix administration.
Successful completion of the courses leads to certification and, thus,
increased earning potential. “The third area is to provide convenient access
to technology through establishing Community Technology Centers,” Villarreal
says. Strategically placed in the
community, these centers enable families to become more familiar with basic
computer hardware, software and Internet usage that will benefit them
personally and professionally.
A
more recently instituted, but equally forceful, initiative is associated with
the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition’s Silicon Valley Project.
According to their director, Butch Wing, “The focus is on obtaining
full inclusion and representation of people of color in the tremendous growth
and development of high tech industry and the digital revolution.
In the new millennium, the Silicon Valley Project seeks to transform
the digital divide into digital opportunities and digital connections.”
The
organization is committed to connect schools and the community to the
Internet, and to connect the community to technology companies.
One concrete means to bridge the digital divide is offering free
computers and printers to a select number of deserving local students (junior
high-level and above) who excel in math and science.
A
related project of Rainbow/PUSH is to build a quasi-distance learning center
to provide local training that better connects the minority community with
existing technology centers.
The
Housing Conundrum
Although
Silicon Valley is a Mecca for persons with high-tech skills, one of the
well-known drawbacks for relocating is the cost of housing. “In the present
economic boom, it is very difficult to live in San Jose due to the housing
prices,” Forrest Williams says. “Rent
is very expensive and rental units are limited.”
“The
medium price of the average house is probably about $400-$500 thousand,” Ken
Jackson explains. Realistically
speaking, “unless you are making $75-100 thousand a year, it is really going
to be difficult to live a comfortable life here in Silicon Valley.”
Civic leaders are aware of the problem and have begun to
address it. Specifically, in the
fall of 1999, the business community launched a $20 million housing trust
fund. “The intent is to provide affordable, high-density housing on the
transit line,” Steve Tedesco points out, “Condos in the $200-$250 thousand
range are certainly more attractive to professionals who are drawn to the
area.”
Furthermore,
to attract more educators, a joint venture by neighboring public school
systems and private industry has made available subsidized housing for
teachers in the amount of $1 million per year. If you’re thinking about
relocating to San Jose, consider the pros and cons.
The community certainly offers many appealing attractions along with a
robust economy. Even if your
first job out of college doesn’t lead you to Silicon Valley, keep it in mind
as you advance up the career ladder and your earning potential increases
accordingly.
Calvin Bruce is a frequent contributor to THE BLACK
COLLEGIAN Magazine.
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