This week we researched the topic of stereotype threat. Per Wikipedia:

Stereotype threat is a situational predicament in which people are or feel themselves to be at risk of confirming negative stereotypes about their social group.

I’m sure everyone has felt stereotype threat from time to time. For example, I’m Chinese, my parents are first generation immigrants. They have strong accents, cook traditional Chinese food and don’t behave like American parents. Growing up, I tried desperately to blend in with my classmates. I think Asians suffer from the “model minority” steryotype:

A model minority is a minority group (whether based on ethnicity, race or religion) whose members are most often perceived to achieve a higher degree of socioeconomic success than the population average. This success is typically measured in income, education, low crime rates and high family stability. The term is highly controversial, for it is sometimes used to suggest there is no need for government action to reduce discrimination.

Growing up, I found subtle expectations everywhere pushing me to conform to those model minority steryotypes. For example, there is this belief that Asians are good at math. My parents were great at math, but me… not so much. They didn’t understand why I wasn’t good at math and I questioned it too. Ultimately, concluding that just maybe it’s because I’m not that smart. So imagine if you will, not fitting into you’re own steryotype, that led to some weird identity issues.

To be clear, I don’t think I’m bad at math, I was just way more interested in things like music, reading and writing. But I do think growing up with those fixed beliefs kept me away from STEM majors in college. Which is why, it’s pretty [ironic, funny, awesome] that I am now leaving my nice Marketing gig to pursue code. I think that act in of itself is breaking down some of my own stereotype threats. I’m looking forward to continuing this story once I finish DBC and start a new career in web development!