Illegal Hustlers

Required Reading

There are more jokes than I can count about the fact that black men don't read. The problem is not that we don't read, the problem is that we don't read the right things. The first thing that that must happen is you need to get a subscription to Black Enterprise Magazine. There are some great books that are available that will give you the tools needed to succeed. Some great ones are:

• Black Enterprise Guide to Starting Your Own Business (Black Enterprise Series)


• Black Enterprise Guide to Building Your Career


• Black Enterprise Lessons from the Top


• The Great Investment: Faith, Family, and Finance

C# Programming Into 1 and 2

The Tech Industry

I have been working in the Technology industry for the last 10 years and the one thing that I notice is that there are not a lot of blacks in this industry. There are many ways to break into this industry. The most cost effective way for a brother to get into this industry is to get certifications. It is ideal to have a degree in computer science but to jump start your career I recommend to get certified.

There are many different tech jobs that you can choose from:

Network Engineer/Administrator - Network Engineers can work to either set up computer networks, or to administrate them. These jobs can range on how much they pay based on are but the range in the San Francisco Bay Area 50 - 60k a year (based on information from Dice.com ) . To get into this industry the most sought after certifications are MCSE and CCNA. It is a good idea to get both certifications which will open you up to as many opportunities as possible.

Computer Programmer - Computer programmers are very important in the IT industry these days and their pay reflects that. In the silicon valley you can make anywhere from 60 - 100 k. The amount that you make depends on experience and the programming languages that you know. This is an area that blacks are not represented well and an area that I am working to be apart of.

Project Management - Per dice.com Project Managers is the most sought after IT workers. There is a lot of money in this field. The certification that is required is the PMP certification. These guys are making up to 100k a year.

So how should you get started brothas?

• At your local community colleges.
  
• There are trade schools that you can go to that provide a fast way to go through school. These are very expensive. There are programs that will pay for your school. Do some research in your area but in the Bay Area (where I am from) there is a program called Bay Area Works which paid for a very expensive academic program that I was in.
  
• Join every online group available on the subject.
• Join Dice.com and stay updated on industry changes.
  

The Road to Success

In this day and age where there are opportunities for everyone that has the ambition to work hard for it, there are many brothers that are not taking advantage. There are many brothers that are still saying that the white man is keeping them down. I admit there is a level of racism that is everywhere, but there is no excess for not reaching a level of success in America.

Many make the argument that there are immigrants that come to America and make a good living. Then you have black people that are born here that cant get a job. I was raised in the hood. I always had the view that the guys selling dope and killing people were not living a good life. I had friends, however, that spent so much time with the the "older heads" that they got brain washed. The view that they hand down is that the best that they can expect is to sell dope or play basketball. There are communities that are created in the ghetto where your world view is limited to what you see. This is why you can go to the ghetto and you will find 15 year olds that have not been out of their neighborhood. Just as it is in jail, people create their own world that which makes it hard to preserve things that are outside that world. When people come to this country from other places their perception of America is the land of opportunity where people come here and can become successful. This is not to excuse people from not taking it upon themselves to look past their surroundings and seek better. I am only making the point that there is a problem that needs to be addressed in the black community that is not being directly addressed.

Through this blog I will attempt to give a practical solution to this issue. I will give specific information to point brothers toward a fulfilling career.