"Google's interview process -- what's the word I'm looking for here -- ah yes, their process sucks at letting in all the qualified people. They're trying to get better at it, but it's not really Google's fault so much as the fault of interviewers who insist that you're not qualified to work there unless you are exactly like them. Of course, there are interviewers like that wherever you go."
I imagine that's one of the big problems that females, older people and others must face. If you're not like them (or everyone's stereotype of a qualified person), you'll have a harder time getting in. Not to mention enjoying your stay, once you're in.
(Maybe you're in a workplace that's so desperate for a little diversity that it's actually easier for non-stereotypes to get in. But will your coworkers act respectfully? I know that the guys at mine let loose putdowns about females, even with females in the room. They don't even realize they're putting females down.)
Exactly and it's the same at hacker news. Every time we see an article about sexism in computer science, someone will show up saying that: (1) hackers are the most egalitarian group that ever walked the face of the earth and (2) they've never seen any discrimination happen. The implication here is that sexism doesn't exist in computer science.
I have seen my colleague tell (ostensibly being funny) a female co-worker that she was hired because of her looks. I've also seen people joke about interviewing attractive women. These might seem innocuous to privileged males but they definitely contribute to making the workplace worse for women and so are IMHO completely unacceptable.
These are just two small issues - and I've heard a lot worse, but try and tell someone like DHH that we have a problem. He'll rant about how being edgy is cool and that being edgy requires us to make these tasteless "jokes".
I imagine that's one of the big problems that females, older people and others must face. If you're not like them (or everyone's stereotype of a qualified person), you'll have a harder time getting in. Not to mention enjoying your stay, once you're in.
(Maybe you're in a workplace that's so desperate for a little diversity that it's actually easier for non-stereotypes to get in. But will your coworkers act respectfully? I know that the guys at mine let loose putdowns about females, even with females in the room. They don't even realize they're putting females down.)