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Are You a Wannabe or a Real Entrepreneur? 6 Differences Between Those Who Dream and Those Who Act

Wannabes Obsess About Ideas; Entrepreneurs Obsess About Implementation

Sometimes, we spend an inordinate amount of time talking about our ideas, dreams and aspirations. It is easy to content ourselves with simply having lofty ideas, not realizing their sheer abundance. Anyone who has taken a breath has likely had an idea that could have literally changed the course of his or her life in a revolutionary way. Unfortunately, such ideas rarely get implemented.

Real entrepreneurs overcome their mental barriers, move beyond their comfort zones and spring into action. Wannabes seek a perfect plan. Entrepreneurs execute and adjust the plan later.

Wannabes Want Approval from Family and Friends; Entrepreneurs Embrace Criticism

Some entrepreneurs allow those closest to them — their friends and family — to prevent them from going after their dream of starting their own business.

Meanwhile. others, while they know their loved ones have their best interest at heart,  know uninformed advice and criticism can be more harm than good.

Instead of wasting valuable time and energy being defensive or trying to get approval from those who cannot be persuaded by data, they use criticism to address holes in their business strategy.

Wannabes Focus on Getting ‘Rich’; Entrepreneurs Are in It for the Love

If you perceive starting a business as your golden ticket, think again. Many entrepreneurs who have built massive wealth likely didn’t go into business to get rich. They did so because they had passion for something and kept finding opportunities to expand the way they expressed that passion, and then they realized they could make money doing it.

Entrepreneurs who become rich do so because they love what they do. It has meaning for them, so much meaning that they are willing to do whatever it takes, at weird hours, often at high personal inconvenience and risk, to do it. Making money doing it becomes inevitable.

Wannabes Want to Get on TV and Get ‘Famous’; Entrepreneurs Build Desirable Products or Services

Since the days of the Dot-Com era, many entrepreneurs were treated like pop stars. This has attracted many wannabe entrepreneurs who are more concerned with the spotlight than actually running a successful business.

Real entrepreneurs recognize their natural desire to be recognized, but they don’t think fame is the only form of recognition that validates them. Rather than focusing on becoming famous, they focus on creating something deserving of attention.

Wannabes Hope, Pray and Wait for Their Lucky Break; Entrepreneurs Engineer Multiple Plans and Execute

Wannabes focus on positive thinking, expecting one day their big break will come and things will get easier.

Entrepreneurs put themselves in a position to get lucky by creating the right situations for success by planning for multiple contingencies, therefore, persevering through both the good and bad times.

They also make the right connections, believe in what they’re doing and then seize the opportunities that align with their goals and avoid those that don’t. 

Wannabes Are Discouraged by Failure; Entrepreneurs See Failure as an Opportunity

Wannabes fear looking stupid in front of their friends. Entrepreneurs willingly risk making fools of themselves, knowing that long-term success is a good tradeoff for a short-term loss of dignity.

Entrepreneurs don’t see failure as something to fear. Instead, they see it as an opportunity to expand their knowledge base and a stepping stone to success. Therefore, real entrepreneurs don’t hide their failures and aren’t afraid to expose their ideas to a cold reality as soon as reasonably possible.

 

 

 

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6 Insults Most Blerds Have Heard at Some Point in Their Lives

Being Called an ‘Oreo’

The term “Oreo” is defined as a Black person who is regarded as having adopted the attitudes, values and behaviors thought to be characteristics of middle-class white society, often at the expense of his or her own heritage.

Although Black culture is part of what defines Black people, the idea that the culture is static is completely ludicrous. The term “Oreo” completely discounts the fact that no matter how different a Black person acts in comparison to racial stereotypical images, that can never change his or her skin. So that person still has to deal with the day-to-day racism or injustices that are geared toward Black people.

‘Why Do You Sound/Look White?’

This insult is closely related to the “Oreo” insult. Not only is it offensive for not realizing the dynamics of Black people, it goes a step further in perpetuating the myth that white people somehow have a monopoly on looking, sounding and being intelligent.

‘The Only Reason You Got Into a Good College is Because You’re Black’

This stems from a lack of understanding of how affirmative action works, and believing that it has something to do with filling quotas. The truth is that Black youths have to be quite exceptional to get into a good school, especially when compared to their white counterparts.

Ironically, as many as 15 percent of freshmen at America’s top schools are white students who failed to meet their university’s minimum standards for admission, according to Peter Schmidt, deputy editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education. These kids are “people with a long-standing relationship with the university,” or, in other words, the children of faculty, wealthy alumni and politicians.

According to Schmidt, these unqualified but privileged kids are nearly twice as common on top campuses as Black and Latino students who have benefited from affirmative action.

‘You’re So Articulate …’

This is the ultimate backhanded compliment. Often, the people uttering the phrase truly believe they’re being nice when saying this. However, it is quite an ignorant statement. First, it assumes that the average Black person is dumb and inarticulate, and that the person they’re “complimenting” is so rare it’s like they’ve come into contact with a unicorn. It also assumes that there’s only one acceptable way for smart people to talk.

‘You Look/Remind Me of Urkel/Carlton Banks’

Because of the gross misrepresentation of Black people in mainstream media, characters like Urkel from Family Matters and Carlton from The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air are the only archetypes many people have of a Black nerd. However, equating someone as being a Blerd for simply wearing large glasses and “preppy” clothes undervalues the intelligence of true Blerds

‘Being a Sellout’

This insult is particularly offensive because it usually comes from another Black person. While there are many people who have betrayed the Black community, being smart and successful does not automatically make you a “sellout”.

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5 Reasons Blerds Have Created Their Own Space

Embrace Intelligence and Blackness

A debate has recently ensued over “The Acting White Theory,” suggesting Black students are less inclined to be studious and smart because it is associated with being white. This  theory originated in the 1980s with anthropologist and former professor at University of California Berkeley, Dr. John Ogbu’s research. It is commonly used to explain the present-day achievement gap between Black and white students, according to theroot.com.

Although this theory has been cited by President Obama as a call to action to bring education and intellect into our communities, author and Georgetown University professor Michael Eric Dyson pushes back, believing that these anti-intellectual stereotypes of Black youth  are not founded in reality.

Researchers over the last three decades have consistently found that Black students have more positive attitudes about education than their white peers, although academic achievement is lower overall, theroot.com reports.

Blerds have created their own space to support Black intellectual creative abilities, and the desire for achievement in our communities.

Separate From Stereotypes of Black Culture

In today’s culture, Blackness is confined to a small scope. Modern-day images of Blackness often revolve around star athletes, hip-hop moguls, gangsters or TV housewives and baller’s baby’s moms. Oftentimes, these stereotypes reinforce accepted violence, hatred and ignorance against African-Americans.

On Aug. 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American teenager who a witness says raised his hands in surrender, was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri. Racial profiling may have led to his death and his race may have also influenced stories shared in the media about his possible criminal involvement, in attempt to justify and excuse the blatant disregard for his life.

Blerds have created their own space to separate from the stereotyped images of the Black culture and find sanctuary in the freedom to be who they were born to be.

Pay Homage to Intellectual Predecessors 

African-American intellectual Blerds, such as sociologist and activist W.E.B. Du Bois, educator and orator Booker T. Washington, academic and activist Cornel West and President Obama, all pushed the envelope, advocating the advancement of African-American rights, specifically, opportunities to higher education, reform of the criminal justice system, the end of the school-to-prison pipeline, and access to higher political office.

Blerds’ expression of themselves as intellectuals in their own space pays homage to the Black intellectuals, innovators and achievers that came before them.

Define Themselves and Their Narratives
Since 2002, Black journalists in the U.S. have lost 993 newsroom jobs, more than any other minority groups, according to The National Association of Black Journalists.
In An Open Letter to America’s Black Journalists, Eric L. Wattree, a Los Angeles journalist, declares that Black journalists do have a special and unique mission — to educate and help the Black community connect the dots and understand the complex structures of exploitation, prejudice and disenfranchisement of Black people in mainstream society.
As the number of employed Blacks dwindle across all sectors, it is even more imperative to create our own spaces in which we can thrive and support. Blerds have created their own space to define themselves and share their own narratives.
Document Their History For All Time
In today’s modern world, Africans and African-Americans have been misidentified by mainstream thought as inferior, lacking the skills, education and the drive necessary to succeed.
The little-told narratives of our ancestors , who created mathematics, martial arts, universal education and more, highlight the true nature of people of African descent, according to Atlanta Blackstar article, “When Black Men Ruled the World.”
Blerds have created their own spaces to document our successes so that our history is never again forgotten.
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7 Black Nerd Events Worth Attending in 2014

Did you tell yourself that this year would be different, and you were going to be a better professional by attending more conferences? Did you have hopes of expanding your professional network, improving your technical skills, or building your brand?

Were you hoping to get out and mingle with like-minded people who enjoy art in its various forms but haven’t had the chance? Are you disappointed in yourself because it’s almost the end of summer and you have not signed up for one conference or gone to one event?

The summer may be coming to a swift close but the year is not over yet. Here are some worthy conferences and events that you can still check out before 2015 rolls around.

 

1.Chicago Writers Conference

What: The Chicago Writers Conference is a conference for writers and those aspiring to be writers. The two-day conference offers programs and workshops to help attendees improve their writing skills.

When: Oct. 24-26

Where: Chicago, Illinois,

How: The conference supports writers by providing immersive writing courses and workshops that are focused on skill building such as, writing for the stage and screen, and finding your voice. It also features discussions from bestselling authors.

 

2. NSBE Professional Development Conference

What: The National Society for Black Engineers is hosting its third annual Professional Development Conference. The three-day conference is meant to create a space for professionals to network, improve skills, and engage with leaders in the industry.

When: Oct 2-Oct 5

Where: Phoenix, Arizona

How: Networking and skill building will occur through a variety of ways, and attendees will have the opportunity to receive one-on-one mentoring through the Executive Mentoring Suite.

There are a series of workshops that cover topics related to increasing success in the field. For example “Networking on the Green”  addresses how to use nontraditional networking skills on and off the golf course.

 

3. Art Miami

What: An international contemporary and modern artist fair. The fair brings in collection curators, museum professionals, and artists from all over the world. Important artwork from the 20th and 21st centuries will be showcased.

Where: Downtown Miami

When: Dec. 2

How: The fair encompasses seminars, Understanding the Artist: Permanence is Forever, a curator brunch that allows them to mingle and network with other curators around the world, and a variety exhibits.

 

4. Code(Her) Conference

What: A one-day conference that allows women interested in the tech industry to build a professional network, increase their knowledge of changing trends in the field, learn and improve skills.

When: Sept. 13

Where: Chevy Chase, Md.

How: The Code(Her) conference is unique as it has a series of immersive workshops to help women network and build skills to be competitive in the tech field. The workshops focus on everything from cyber security to branding through social media.

 

5. The Lean Startup Conference

What: The Lean Startup Conference has been helping entrepreneurs build networks and skills for the past five years. The conference gives entrepreneurs an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who have proven success with their startups.

It allows participants to get the answers to questions such as: How can I get internal services like IT, finance, legal, and HR to act like startups and serve entrepreneurial teams throughout my organization? As well as questions that cover how to get buy-ins from leaders and managers to support entrepreneurial methods.

When: Dec. 8 – 12

Where: San Francisco, California

How: Attendees gain knowledge and support through a series of workshops, sessions, one-on-one meetings, Q&A panels, and group dinners over the course of five days.

 

6. DC Shorts Film Festival

What: A 10-day festival where the world’s top short films are screened to a wide audience. For this year, over 100 films will be screened from 25 countries. The main purpose of the fair is to create a space for filmmakers and lovers of film to mix and mingle and enjoy great cinematic art.

When: Sept. 11-21

Where: Several locations in Washington, D.C.

How: The film festival helps individuals engage with each other through film screenings, parties, and workshops and competitions.

 

7. Urban Tech Weekend

What: A two-day conference hosted by the National Black Info Tech Leadership Organization. The goal of the conference is to narrow the diversity gap for Black and Latino-Americans in the technology field.

When: Sept. 25-27

Where: Houston, Texas

How: The conference supports Black and Latino-Americans through networking from various companies. Also available will be  panels with speakers who are leaders in the tech fields, workshops,  and mentorship opportunities.

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Nigeria Has ‘Limitless Opportunities’ for Engineers in Burgeoning Economy

Several key sectors of Nigeria’s economy are suffering due to a lack of engineers who some say could provide the “backbone” for rapid development in the country.

Femi Akintunde, CEO of Alpha Mead Facilities and Management Services Limited (AMFacility), is the latest entrepreneur to publicly discuss the country’s shortage of engineers.

During the presentation of his paper, “The Engineer as the Prime Mover of Economic Development,” to the 2014 inductees of the Nigerian Society of Engineers at the University of Ibadan, Akintunde said the country is in “dire need of engineering solutions.”

“Today, the world and Nigeria is in dire need of engineering solutions,” he said. “This simply means that, if the simple economic rule of demand and supply is anything to go by, then there are limitless opportunities for engineers in the pool of problems that confront our nation.”

Akintunde went on to say that Nigeria’s “current economic indices and realities” can’t be solved without taking a close look at “engineering principles and practices.”

“These challenges therefore place a huge responsibility on the shoulders of engineering stakeholders; and as you join the league of this noble profession today, it is only ideal that we provoke your thinking to imbibe a solution mentality towards our nation’s economic problems,” Akintunde said. “You cannot afford to join the bandwagon of those complaining about Nigeria. The Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan is a document that highlights key areas of the economy, that can take our economy through the maturation circle of Vision 20:2020. You should make such documents a companion.”

The Nigeria Vision 20: 2020 document spells out a plan for Nigeria to become one of the top 20 economies in the world by the year 2020.

Akintunde also had a message for the lecturers at the ceremony.

“Our lecturers must also understand that, as the society advances, its challenges also advance, and the only responses that can contain such advancements are new researches,” he continued. “The new breed of engineers has to be equipped with contemporary knowledge to be able to move the economy forward.”

Earlier this year, The National Power Training Institute of Nigerian relayed a similar message.

Back in April, the director-general of the Institute, Reuben Okeke, revealed that Nigeria needed more than 50,000 engineers to boost the power sector reform.

At the time, that sector had only 200 of the 51,000 required engineers.

Okeke said that since the employment embargo in 1998, the country has struggled to attract young, qualified engineers.

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Breaking Barriers: African Women in Tech Industry Continue to Defy Odds

The technology industry has long been reserved for male entrepreneurs, but an online discussion among female tech experts all across Africa sheds light on how many women have already made their presence known in the field.

Statistics show that the number of women in the technology world is low.

In June, Yahoo’s Equal Employment Opportunity statistics revealed that although nearly 40 percent of the company employees are female, only 15 percent are in tech-related positions.

Other major companies, such as Dropbox, have a little over 8 percent of their female employees involved in software engineering, according to a 2013 spreadsheet released by Pinterest software engineer Tracy Chou.

Female tech entrepreneurs, like Ethel Cofie of Ghana, are on the way to reversing these troubling statistics.

Cofie is one of the pioneering members of a “Women in Tech” group that is working to create an alliance of female tech experts all across Africa.

According to Cofie’s guest article on CNN’s website, her own online efforts marked the first time someone had attempted to “build a pan-African Women in Tech network that would allow [women] to compare [their] challenges, learn from each other and connect across borders” to increase their influence.

Cofie teamed up with four other African women, all from different countries, to organize a digital meetup earlier this month.

More than 150 women signed up to be a part of the meetup and the online movement spread like wildfire.

By the time the Aug. 2 meetup ended, the hashtag #WtechAfrica had reached nearly 75,000 people and made close to 200,000 impressions on Twitter.

The online event certainly did not go smoothly, however.

Cofie explained that technical difficulties threatened to put an end to the massive meetup, but the determination by the participants kept the discussion alive and allowed it to have more reach.

The meetup was originally supposed to take place on Google Hangout, but when poor connections and other technical difficulties made it nearly impossible for the large group of women to effectively communicate, it appeared that Cofie’s efforts were doomed.

That’s when she realized many of the participants had moved the discussion to Facebook and eventually over to Twitter.

As it turns out, problems with Internet connections and power shortages are some of the major obstacles facing tech entrepreneurs in Africa, and Cofie admitted that those challenges will make diversity in the tech realm an uphill battle.

“The problems that African women in tech face are not very different from the ones female techies in many other parts of the world also come across,” she wrote in her guest piece. “Yet, these challenges, coupled with some Africa-specific problems like power shortages and broadband inaccessibility, create an uphill task for women wanting to enter the industry and develop the high-level technical skill required in order to progress.”

With successful female tech experts like Regina Agyare of Soronko Solutions in Ghana, and Rebecca Enonchong of AppsTech in Cameroon, Cofie knows it is still very possible for women to continue thriving in this male-dominated field that she hopes won’t be quite so male-dominated in the near future.

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Does Casual Friday Mean Time for Self-Expression?

Meany Organization has designated Friday as the day professionals can dress in business casual attire. This means employees may wear polo shirts, nice jeans, casual slacks, capri pants. Choosing the appropriate Casual Friday attire is part of good business etiquette. The objective is to present a professional image that embodies the organization image because you are representing yourself and the organization you are employed with.

The Introduction of Casual Friday

In the 1990s, Levi-Strauss, manufacturer of blue jeans and other casual wear, joined with the United Cerebral Palsy Association (UCPA) to launch a nationwide fundraising event. “Casual Day,” as it was called, would allow employees to buy the privilege of dressing more informally for the day by making a charitable contribution to UCPA. Many businesses joined in the project, and it was very successful, leading not only to more fundraising casual days, but also too many businesses establishing a regular casual day, usually on Fridays. Casual Fridays steadily increased in popularity. By 1996, a Levi-Strauss study found that 90 percent of American office workers were allowed to dress casually on Fridays, as opposed to 47 percent in 1993. Many business owners and managers found that allowing their employees one day of informality did increase their productivity and gave the office a more welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. Some noted that fewer workers were absent on Fridays than before the introduction of the casual day. Many banks expanded the policy, introducing casual summers. Some clothing manufacturers introduced new lines of clothing just for casual work dress (Fashionencyclopedia.com).

What has Casual Friday become?

Casual Friday has become the day of self-expression. Within the business environment, too often individuals wear jeans with holes, flip-flops, favorite sports team shirts and the T-shirt with that funny commentary on life. It has also become the time to show off that tattoo. They say you never get another chance to make a first impression, so when Casual Friday comes around what impression are you leaving with your employer?

I love my old pair of jeans and my T-shirt promoting golf, but the work environment is not the place for it. On Casual Friday, I have my pressed jeans, a polo shirt, a jacket and dress shoes. And if I do not wear that, I have dress pants with a colored shirt. I have been asked why I dress with jeans and a jacket on Friday when it is dress-down day. My response is I dress for the position I have and want to have. I do not want my employer to view me in a different manner but professional. They see me in suits all week, but I must keep up that professional appearance on Friday because I am representing the organization and myself. Management must view me as someone who can operate in any environment/setting and still be professional. People perceptions are their reality, and when it comes time for promotion, what light does your employer view you in? Is it the professional person they hire or on Friday do you morph into the stereotypical person they see on television?

According to talentinnovation.org, “Performance, hard work, and sponsors get top talent recognized and promoted. But ‘leadership potential’ isn’t enough to lever men and women into the executive suite. Leadership roles are given to those who also look and act the part. Center for Talent Innovation research reveals that the top jobs often elude women and professionals of color because they lack ‘executive presence’ (EP), or underestimate its importance.”

“While only 5 percent of leaders consider appearance to be a key factor in EP, all of them recognize its potential for curtailing or derailing talented up-and-comers. Notable appearance blunders, not surprisingly, are unkempt attire (83 percent say it detracts from a woman’s executive presence, 76 percent say it detracts from a man’s) and, for women, too-tight or provocative clothing (73 percent say it detracts from a woman’s executive presence)”

Conclusion

Therefore, the next time Casual Friday comes around, ask yourself when you are about to leave the house: Do I have executive presence? Am I dressing for the position I want? What statement is my outfit saying? Is it saying I am here making a statement? Am I representing the organization culture and their definition of professional leader?

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Networking and Socializing for African-Americans in Corporate America

While lots of definitions exist, networking is best described as “the act of making contact and exchanging information with other people, groups and institutions to develop mutually beneficial relationships.”  Socializing is best defined as “to talk to and do things with other people in a friendly way.”

If you are paying attention, you will notice that you socialize while networking, but you don’t network while socializing.

The reason you don’t network while socializing is: 1) just because you are being friendly doesn’t mean you are exchanging information; and 2) interactions during socializing are rarely mutually beneficial.

Unfortunately, professional African-Americans, young and old, regularly get these two concepts confused and think just because they have socialized with their boss, boss’s boss or someone from another organization, they’ve actually established a beneficial relationship. If you’re one of these people brace yourself: Here comes the cold water.

Eight times out of 10 when leadership attends a happy hour or a company-sponsored “networking event,” they are not there to network. It’s more of a campaign stop. They are there to make the “little people” –anyone who isn’t a director level or higher– believe the company actually cares.

The odds for networking go from bad to worse when someone “experienced” (i.e., been around a long time but doesn’t have a director or higher title) attends one of these events, as 9 out of 10 times those folks are usually looking to exploit naiveté and make themselves feel more influential than they really are.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “What’s this guy talking about? Everybody knows nowadays it’s not what you know, it’s who you know! So what does it matter if it’s socializing or networking? All that matters is getting to know the right people.”

Well, as one of my NYC clients used to say, “Good luck with that.”

The reality is when it comes to networking, it’s more important for people to know you versus you knowing people.  Heavy D. told us this back in ’89, “Don’t clock anybody, let’ em all clock you…Don’t be down with anybody, let ’em all be down with you.”

Why, you ask?

The answer is simple but it requires an acknowledgement of the fundamental motivational differences between networking and socializing. This is why your typical Caucasian professional can get professional benefits through socializing, while the typical African-American cannot, reinforcing that when it comes to corporate life, all people are not created equally.

So let’s get something clear upfront before we go any further, the primary source of motivation driving the average person to network or socialize is usually self-serving. So since the source is generally the same, what separates networking and socializing is in the desired result or objective.

When someone is talking to someone at a “networking event,” they are really thinking, “What can you do for me?”  But at a “socializing event,” they think, “I want you to like me, so you can do things for me.”

It’s this nuanced difference that makes all the difference for African-Americans, which is why the most skilled networkers in the Black community are often individuals who are the most adept at their given craft, for example, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, music industry and business titan Russell Simmons, comedian Dick Gregory, and businessman Robert Johnson of BET network fame.

What these individuals all have in common is that they rarely asked anyone to do anything for them professionally via socializing, but instead they demonstrated their value to prospective contacts through tangible action or results.

For example, Simmons established the first endorsement deal of a mainstream product (Adidas) by a hip- hop group- Run-D.M.C. He accomplished it not by pandering or asking the Adidas leadership to like them. No, Russell invited one of the Adidas senior leaders to a concert at Madison Square Garden and during a performance of My Adidas, Run-D.M.C  asked everyone in the crowd hold up their Adidas.

Simmons (one of us) demonstrated to Adidas (a bunch of them) what influence he held over a considerable market segment — young hip-hop fans with money to buy expensive sneakers–  through a single song; granted it was a hit song, but you get the point.

With one action,  Simmons forced the Adidas executive to “clock him,” and in the process established the first network connection — i.e. mutually beneficial relationship — between mainstream corporate America and the hip-hop community.

So the next time you find yourself invited to a networking event, ask yourself two key questions: 1) Do you have anything of tangible value to offer to someone? 2) Do you know the fair market value of your tangible assets?

If your answer to either of these questions is no, then take heed to the words of Heavy D: “Stay self-managed, self-kept, self-taught…Be your own [person], don’t be borrowed, don’t be bought.”

My advice would be to skip the event and focus that time and energy on refining your skills or craft, and defining your value so the next time a networking opportunity comes around, “You can start with a pow and end it with a bang,”  because you must never forget, “You got your own thang.”

Tre Green is a 25yr veteran of the IT industry who specializes in solving “mission impossible” for Fortune 500 organizations. When not adding to his frequent flier miles and preferred guest status, Tre can be often be found at home relaxing with his motley crew of pets.

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STEM: How to Get Started, Provide for Your Family and Save the Black Community

There are a lot of buzzwords flying around these days: blerds, STEM, startup, economic empowerment, the “new economy.” They’re even still throwing around “diversity” like that wasn’t played out in the ’90s. It seems everybody has an opinion about who, what, when, why and how Black Americans should spend our time and money. There’s lots of talk, but little explanation and, all too often, no action. So consider this a little primer:

Definitions:

Blerd — Black nerd. (Note: White nerds are simply known as “nerds.”)

STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Want a job? Learn one or more of these.

Startup — A small business, generally in technology. Hollywood, CNN and Congress love them, but they’re really a very small percentage of small businesses in the country. However, every small business uses technology these days, so in that sense, they’re all startups.

Economic Empowerment — The thing we need to do to fix our community.

New Economy — Want a job in 2014? It needs to be in tech or services. America doesn’t build things anymore.

Diversity — If you’re reading this, you probably qualify. Don’t worry about it.

Why You Need to Care

I don’t have to tell you that ever since Apple co-founder Steve Jobs presented the world with the first little baby iPhone, everything changed, for everyone. Ninety-two percent of Black adults have mobile phones, putting us on par with white adults. More interestingly, 98 percent of Black Americans between the ages of 18-29 have either broadband or a smartphone — 98 percent!

On top of that, STEM jobs are projected to grow 13 percent from 2012 to 2022 That’s more than any other sector. And the median incomes are not too shabby, much higher than the median incomes in the Black community, that’s for sure. What will the most popular job be? Software developers (that’s coders, another buzzword). That’s incredibly lucky for us, you’ll see why.

Fifty-six percent of Black children live with a single mother and 34 percent of Black children are living in poverty. That’s over half of our children living without a father, and over one-third of our children living in poverty. Take a second and think about that.

Lastly, access to education is a challenge for members of our community, and access to good education is a rare thing indeed. In fact, only 20 percent of Black adults have college degrees, compared to 33 percent of white adults, and 52 percent of Asian adults. And if you do graduate? If the tuition doesn’t kill you, the student loans will. Student loan debt in the United States just topped $1 trillion — and it’s only getting worse.

To sum up:

We’re all mobile or online, using some sort of tech almost all of the time.

STEM jobs are big and getting bigger.

The Black community is (always) in crisis.

It is more difficult and more expensive for Blacks to get and pay for education in America than almost any other ethnic group.

Thanks for the Depressing News Flash, Kat. I’m Off to Spend my College Fund on BOGO Margaritas!

Slow your roll. Before you decide that everything is hopeless, think about this: You can learn STEM, specifically the T for “tech” part, at home, on your own, for free and still get a job.

I know, this sounds like an infomercial, right? But I’m not wearing a blazer with glow-in-the-dark question marks and I don’t own a ShamWow. I’m serious.

The beauty of technology is that it really is the great equalizer, and there is no community that can benefit from learning technology, and learning to code more than us. The entire world is built and run on computers, and learning to code is learning how to draw the map, design the infrastructure and build the world yourself.

You can learn to be a proficient coder in six to 12 weeks for free, or from one of the many courses and boot camps, and afterward you can get a job. There are far more software development jobs than developers; college degrees do not matter as much as ability, and there are a lot of resources to help you find a gig once you’ve learned.

OK, I’m Fired Up and Ready to Go! Where Do I Start?

Below are a few links for free and cheap places where you can learn STEM fundamentals and computer basics, coding in a variety of languages and the resources to help you find a job.

Back to Basics:

Coursera, Udacity EdX — Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are taught by professors from top universities around the world. They are free classes taken by thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands of students all over the globe. You can even earn certificates! Try: Intro to Data Science, Programming for Everyone from my alma mater, Developing Scalable Apps, or, for the engineers, Circuits and Electronics.

General Assembly — This community-centered org teaches tech and entrepreneurship both in person in their many hubs, as well as online. Check them out for classes on legal skills for entrepreneurs, graphic design and even longer coding courses.

Learn to Code:

There are so many websites where you can learn to code for free or very little. Here are just a few: Dash Codecademy, One Month, Code.org.

Go back to school with programs around the country where you can take classes for six to 12 weeks or more and not only gain skills but a community that will help place you in jobs when you’re done. Try Starter League, Dev Bootcamp, and here’s a pretty exhaustive list.

When we were enslaved, we weren’t allowed to read. That damaged us so much that even when we were free we were behind. We didn’t know the language the nation was built on so we couldn’t contribute. The nation is built on code now, and again we are not being taught the necessary skills to contribute to the world’s economy. Let’s not make that mistake again.

Kat Calvin is a social entrepreneur, writer and advocate for the empowerment of women, entrepreneurs and the black community. She is the founder of Michelle in Training, a mentoring and educational organization. You can follow her at @KatCalvinDC.

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Why African-Americans Are Choosing Entrepreneurship Over Corporate America

African-Americans have been working hard for many years to shape the landscape of our country, yet we are still far from reaching full representation in many of the nation’s leading industries. Several years removed from the civil rights movement, our level of representation in many fields, including consulting, falls short.

Although there is a challenge for equal representation, especially among the leadership ranks, there are many firms that are taking the diversity initiative very seriously. Their efforts can lead to a turnaround for underrepresented minorities, especially African-Americans. But to improve recruitment numbers and more importantly, retention numbers, first we need to understand the crux of the matter to adequately address it.

The African-American community is rooted in family and often the sacrifices necessary to excel and achieve are not readily received and supported by the family. This can be a difficult challenge to overcome by many of those in pursuit of leadership positions within their industries.

In addition,to excel in consulting, as with other industries, it is all about networking and mentorship. African-Americans do not have the ready-made network and inroads that surround the majority population. This puts the starting point for African-Americans at a deficit when it comes to breaking through in these fields, which makes it much more challenging to succeed.

So, are African Americans doomed to lack of success?

Far from it. African-American entrepreneurship has long had a profound effect on our nation’s culture. Consider the number of Black Americans who have traded the pursuit of the executive suite for entrepreneurship, and it will give you a sense of the disdain that may exist over the lack of representation in these ranks.

It sends a clear message that more African-Americans are saying, ” I don’t want to wait years for a promotion or someone else to validate my career. Let me create my own success and build my enterprise and do things my way.”

 Understanding the Absence of African Americans in Consulting. A brief overview by Daryl Watkins, a 19 year professional with a background in consulting and corporate ranks.