<p>This might be a controversial, but I just want to know what is your opinion on why so many minority students refuse to pursue engineering? Race might not be an important issue; however, diversity is important in engineering fields. This issue has also brought concern to Bill Gates. He is trying to figure out how the IT industry can appeal to minorities.</p>
<p>What can be done to get minority students pursue engineering majors?</p>
<p>I dunno where you came from. Minorities is 90% of engineering in California.</p>
<p><em>Looks at thread title</em></p>
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This might be a controversial, but I just want to know what is your opinion on why so many minority students pursue engineering?
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<p>Now you're confusing me.</p>
<p>nvm, I realized the edit. In relation to the question, I'm not entirely sure, although I can tell you that I am a minority who is heavily interested in engineering, but I haven't yet really found a driving motivation or a reason other than that the field interests me and I like the subject matter. A couple of minorities at my school are also considering engineering, although I don't know their motives.</p>
<p>If you think about it, it makes since. A small subgroup of the population is interested in engineering, and <em>minorities</em> make up only a small portion of that subgroup.</p>
<p>It's not that. Look at the other majors. Majority of my peers are interested in social sciences and business rather than the technical majors.</p>
<p>Here is a article I found.</p>
<p>Here is a quote from the article.</p>
<p>"And of that pool, only 17,000 enrolled in engineering programs as freshmen, compared with 107,000 first-year students at such institutions. That same year, the report states, 4,136 Latinos, 2,982 African Americans, and 308 American Indians received baccalaureate degrees in engineering out of a total of 60,639 minority graduates just over 12 percent combined out of the total minority graduation pool, including Asian Americans and other groups."</p>
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It's not that. Look at the other majors. Majority of my peers are interested in social sciences and business rather than the technical majors.
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That's basically what I said...</p>
<p>Perhaps he meant a majority of his minority peers are interested in social sciences and business, not technical majors. That actually applies to my peers who are minorities. Most are hoping to pursue degrees in social sciences.</p>
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I dunno where you came from. Minorities is 90% of engineering in California.
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California or just greater LA area?</p>
<p>If they ARE interested, they get a TON of scholarship opportunities... Sighs...</p>
<p>Yeah.... giving scholarships based on race is rather retarded... being white is no fun in regards to free money. =</p>
<p>Er, who cares? If minorities were actively or passively discouraged from pursuing engineering, then I would be more concerned. It's not equality we're looking for, it's equality of choice. Asking why not so many minorities are in engineering is like asking why there aren't many women in construction. If I was hiring and a black guy and a white guy came to me for a job, I'd pick the one that's the most qualified, regardless of race. I have no idea why everyone is making this into a 'problem' that needs to be rectified.</p>
<p>Many people speak in terms of a problem because diversity in any industry is obviously a good thing. I mean there are diversity programs directed toward women as well. I am black and interested in engineering, but I was initally a science inclined person who decided that I wanted to produce things rather than study things.
I think there are few minorities interested in engineering because of a perception problem. I mean in any field where there are people like you, you are more inclined to believe that you could do it as well, and the converse is also true.
Take for example the engineering program at the University of Texas, I got accepted to the honors engineering program and last year there was 1 black mechanical engineering graduate out of about 258. So you might see why some are more inclined not to follow that path. I mean in all honesty if I had not grown accustomed to being one of the few minorities in AP classes then I would be reluctant to pursue engineering as well.</p>
<p>I think that one reason not as many minorities are in engineering is because many students of that background don't have as much exposure to the field and the tools necessary to succeed in the field such as math and science. If you look at countries outside of the US, where minorities are the majority, you see that there is interest in engineering and that engineering is actually a highly-regarded profession. I just think that in the US minorities have to be better prepared in and exposed to math and science before they make up a proportional part of the engineering workforce.</p>
<p>I don't mean any disrespect, but if someone is disinclined because there aren't any same-colored people in it, perhaps they should reevaluate their priorities and why they want to do that job in the first place. Diversity in a field is also trumpeted as some mystical ideal that will make everything better but I don't think I've ever heard anyone answer why in a satisfactory manner. Yes, you get different opinions and ideas and whatnot, but that's really more for liberal artsy majors. I can't see it matter in engineering or science because there is usually only a handful of right answers to a problem if at all and they don't vary based on race but by the creativity and proficiency of the individual.</p>
<p>We are similar in many ways, though. I'm a physics major and out of the ~500 class of 2012 in physics, a grand total of 5 or so are girls, so I am familiar with the 1% scenario. I have never had reason to feel like I shouldn't because no one I've met would even think to tell me 'Physics is for white males and the rest of you can **** off'. I understand the draw to be with people similar to yourself but isn't it time we stopped making such a gigantic deal about race and gender? Nevertheless, I respect your opinion and you do bring up a good point but I still don't see this as a massive problem that needs all of our efforts to fix.</p>
<p>I think diversity is very useful in a field like engineering. Although science and engineering uses ideas that usually have a finite number of "right answers", the very nature of scientific discovery and innovation in engineering requires a different type of creativity. Engineers apply scientific and mathematical concepts to create new things that make people's lives easier and accordingly they often have to come up with completely new ideas using the stuff they know. The only situation in which different opinions would not be beneficial in engineering is when you are simply maintaining something rather than creating; like if you're a chemical engineer and your only job is to make sure a certain part of a refinery runs smoothly. Otherwise, the field of engineering requires creativity and thus different opinions, but in a different sense.</p>
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If minorities were actively or passively discouraged from pursuing engineering, then I would be more concerned.
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<p>They are both actively and passively discouraged (this includes women, gays, etc.).</p>
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It's not equality we're looking for, it's equality of choice.
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<p>Equality of opportunity is also important, which includes having the opportunity to learn about engineering careers and prepare for them early in one's education.</p>
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If I was hiring and a black guy and a white guy came to me for a job, I'd pick the one that's the most qualified, regardless of race.
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<p>Unfortunately, sometimes minorities are discriminated against in such circumstances.</p>
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I have no idea why everyone is making this into a 'problem' that needs to be rectified.
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<p>At least it would help if minorities were able to get the same kind of background and encouragement that non-minorities get.</p>
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Take for example the engineering program at the University of Texas, I got accepted to the honors engineering program and last year there was 1 black mechanical engineering graduate out of about 258. So you might see why some are more inclined not to follow that path. I mean in all honesty if I had not grown accustomed to being one of the few minorities in AP classes then I would be reluctant to pursue engineering as well.
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<p>I was one of two blacks in my graduate CS program. Also, in most of the companies I've worked for, one could count the number of black (software) engineers on one hand. Sometimes even one finger (me).</p>
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I think that one reason not as many minorities are in engineering is because many students of that background don't have as much exposure to the field and the tools necessary to succeed in the field such as math and science. If you look at countries outside of the US, where minorities are the majority, you see that there is interest in engineering and that engineering is actually a highly-regarded profession.
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<p>Yes, there are examples of people who come from places like Latin America or Africa of the same race as URMs who do very well in STEM who also had comparable backgrounds to non-URMs.</p>
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I can't see it matter in engineering or science because there is usually only a handful of right answers to a problem if at all and they don't vary based on race but by the creativity and proficiency of the individual.
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<p>It is more a case of feeling that one is respected and included in the workplace, research lab, etc. For example, you hear about women being excluded from the "boy's club".</p>
<p>From my limited experience, it seems like my minority friends, especially those that are first generation college students (meaning their parents do not hold a Bachelor's degree), are discouraged from entering engineering because:</p>
<p>1) they do not have enough exposure or insight into the field in order to choose it as a potential career path;
2) their K-12 education inadequately prepares them in math and science, as well as proper laboratory procedures (Not a major problem any more, but still prevalent in certain areas or school districts);
3) most do not understand, including their parents, how rewarding an engineering degree can be financially with just a BS;
4) some that may have talent in CS or EE, or are technically/scientifically inclined, choose to become an electrician (pretty good starting salary) or a similar technician because that is the highest level of direct career exposure they have encountered that receives good pay without the hard labor. This doesn't include seeing the lawyers, doctors, politicians and businessmen/women that come out on television shows and movies;
5) minorities tend to not live in neighborhoods where the next door neighbor is a Mechanical Engineer or a friend's dad is ChE. The neighbors that do goto work in a suit and tie tend to be salesmen or non-technical government workers.</p>
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"I don't mean any disrespect, but if someone is disinclined because there aren't any same-colored people in it, perhaps they should reevaluate their priorities and why they want to do that job in the first place. Diversity in a field is also trumpeted as some mystical ideal that will make everything better but I don't think I've ever heard anyone answer why in a satisfactory manner."
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<p>The above is an exact point of why diversity is helpful for education. Have you ever been in a class where the was NOONE else like you? Have you ever been ANYWHERE where you were the ONLY person like you? In all honesty, you have never experienced the tacit exclusion that occurs when you are the only person like you in a certain environment. So you don't be condenscending in your remarks.
The fundamental underlying belief in america is that black people are less intelligent than whites and asians, it is just the truth. Even black people know that others view them as unintelligent, so when you are the only black person in a room full of asians and whites, the societal conceptions begin to weigh on your own opinion of yourself. In my honors pre-calculus course I was the only black person and just the fact that I was the only one psychological had an impact on me. It was not a reflection of my ability in the class, but it had an impact on comfort, people are less likely to feel comfortable when they are conspicously different. And people are less likely to pursue fields or endeavors in which they are uncomfortable, so minorities would probably be more inclined to avoid fields with a dearth of minorities.</p>
<p>Have you every heard this before? In all honesty I would like to know. Because if noone has ever told you that simple fact, then this given scenario is a prime example of how education can be enhanced by a diversity of view points.</p>
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"5) minorities tend to not live in neighborhoods where the next door neighbor is a Mechanical Engineer or a friend's dad is ChE. The neighbors that do goto work in a suit and tie tend to be salesmen or non-technical government workers."
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<p>Ha, actually my neighbor across the street is an engineer. And in my parents generation many of the men became engineers. And even going back to my grandparents generation members of my family went to college (one is even a mathematics professor), although my grandparents themselves did not attend an university. So my experience is probably not typical of the "minority experience".</p>
<p>Whatever this thread it, is will not turn into an Affirmative Action debate. But yes, I believe I just stated in my last post that I DAILY am the one person 'like me' in some of my classes and one of a very few in my department. All of my professors are male, my advisor is male, my TAs are male, and my fellow students are 99% male but I don't really give a damn. I break the curve on most tests and I'm friend with the guys in my classes. I don't sit in a corner and fear that I'm being judged based on how I look or what chromosomes I have.</p>
<p>So your argument is now that more minorities need to be pushed into engineering because a handful might be self-conscious that they're the only brown/black/white/purple person. While this is a valid argument, it has nothing at all to increasing innovation or advancement in engineering other than furthering some murky goal of diversity. This stupid phrase has been trumpeted by everyone who's jumping on this bandwagon, but not a single person has explained exactly why it would be good for the field or how.</p>