Web development: is the job market a meritocracy or an exclusive network?
In this article, we’re exploring the characteristics and nuances of the job market. Is it a meritocracy like as it claims to be? Or is it an exclusive network of mutuals?
A Meritocracy
A meritocracy is a government or the holding of power by people selected according to merit. In a meritocracy, opportunities are granted to people with skill, talent, effort, and achievements rather than wealth or social class (Wikipedia, 2021).
A brief background story
In the present day, I’m a digital communication and design student that specialized in web development. I have a background in tech; I’ve dabbled in server administration, networking, software engineering, and currently in web development.
My ethnic background, however, is not European or white; I’m Asian. I’m raised with (what I like to believe) Asian values. For me, that meant working hard and adding value to society — to be a valuable member.
In a collectivistic society, it’s irrelevant who you are- it is more important what you can provide for the collective; it is merit-based.
Growing up in Europe, I’ve tried keeping these values; I believe that working for each other is more valuable for the human race than working for ourselves and hoping others can benefit from that.
Side effects
Years later, after much-needed self-reflection, I realized that the side effects of such a mentality are harsh. I’ve caught myself judging others (including myself) by their merit rather than by their character- that in itself is unfair.
I was under the impression that it was wrong to feel entitled to opportunities. I believed that one had to work hard on their merit to earn them.
That mentality led to rejecting opportunities simply because I felt like I wasn’t skillful enough.
Last year, however, I finished a successful internship and worked harder than ever on my skills. I eventually got to the point where I averaged over 90% on my web development classes. For the first time in years, I felt confident enough to add value to whichever company I was interning at next.
Observing my peers
Over the entire duration of my academic career, I noticed that my peers didn’t struggle with this. I would assess them and try to rank myself amongst the most knowledgeable peers.
In my observation, I found that peers, especially in higher education, are white. They rarely struggled with finding a job.
They were always employed or had no trouble finding a job. In contrast, it was nearly impossible for me to find a job or internship.
That raises the question: is the job market an exclusive social network with prejudice towards people of color and other genders?
An effort for diversity
While the job market tends to brag about its merit-based nature, it ignores how interviews are organized.
Interviewers (unknowingly?) judge your soft skills during an interview, to test whether you’re a good fit for the team.
Unfortunately, these “soft skills” are prejudice from sexism, racism. and classism.
It is very hard, regardless of your skills, to fit in a team dominated by cis white males if you’re not a cis white male.
Conclusion
To answer the question stated in the description; no, the job market is not a meritocracy.
By writing this article, I do not wish to discredit anyone’s success or reduce their success to a byproduct of their race or gender- that would be hypocritical of me.
I want to applaud companies that make an effort in creating diverse teams that include team members of various ethnicities, genders, or ideologies.
I’m pleased to see that inclusivity and diversity are becoming a topic of conversation in the tech industry and that individuals, such as myself, are slowly getting accepted and appreciated for being different and unique in their way.
I hope that sharing bits of my personal experience inspires others to share theirs, and this article inspires individuals in positions of power to make an effort for inclusivity and diversity.
