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I think another factor is married versus single. Like I said, if you're married and have kids Austin would probably be quite nice to live and raise your kids. I don't mind the social life, but a lot of my young black single professional female friends feel like finding a mate in Austin is a nearly hopeless task.
Really, I find that interesting. When I moved to Austin I was single, and I didn't find Austin any worse or better than Cali when it came to dating/etc. I think it's very similar to what I just mentioned. If you are a black professional and you're primarily interested in dating other black professionals (or those with similar education levels regardless of actual profession) then obviously the small (and possibly shrinking) pool in which to choose from is going to be an issue. Once again, if race doesn't matter (and/or education, socio-eco, etc) then I think Austin isn't all that bad. At least it never was an issue for me
Really, I find that interesting. When I moved to Austin I was single, and I didn't find Austin any worse or better than Cali when it came to dating/etc. I think it's very similar to what I just mentioned. If you are a black professional and you're primarily interested in dating other black professionals (or those with similar education levels regardless of actual profession) then obviously the small (and possibly shrinking) pool in which to choose from is going to be an issue. Once again, if race doesn't matter (and/or education, socio-eco, etc) then I think Austin isn't all that bad. At least it never was an issue for me
I'll put it to you like this. In my experience, there's a lot of white/Hispanic/etc. guys/gals in Austin that are fine with and do date black guys/gals. But if a black guy/gal wants to date another on the same socioeconomic stratum it will be a challenge. Not impossible, but a challenge
I hate to nitpick, but much of what you have stated here is just patently not true. First of all, most students at the University of Texas are not from Austin and the surrounding cities. UT is a state flagship university and as such draws much of its enrollment from around the state of Texas. The largest groups of UT students tend to come from the Dallas and Houston areas. There are also numerous students from out of state and from other countries. Secondly, University of Texas grads are found in large numbers in pretty much every major city in the United States and world-wide. There are very large and active alumnae clubs just about everywhere you would care to look. I doubt very seriously that the same thing could be said for schools like Wayne State and Oakland University.
This is just a small sampling, but it clearly demonstrates that many UT graduates do expand their horizons and will move to any location where opportunity beckons.
I actually got this information from a local news piece that ran this past Fall while I was living in Austin. I'm not here to debate which State has the best of anything because its all relative to ones personal preferences, needs, and the way they view things to be. Some die hard MI resident would tell you the same thing about MI but until YOU live in MI you will only know what someone has told you and not what you know first hand.
Methinks too many black people nowadays are obsessed with 'race'. Why is it that they cannot seem move on and talk/think about something else... besides their own blackness, and endless perceived 'racism' against them??? It's time to evolve beyond this people. So may whites say 'Oh, I just don't SEE color...' But for so many blacks, apparently it's ALL they see.
It is not an obsession their are hundreds of discussions on this city data forum website that a person can participate in, and this just happens to be one of them. I'm glad that you don't see color opal minor but everyone isn't as open minded as you. There are Blacks who have joined this discussion and stated they have no issues with regard to the topic at hand, which tells you that not all Blacks have the same view of Austin. These are opinion's don't take them so personal.
Well, I'm bringing in my experience spending virtually all of my life in Milwaukee and a tad in Chicago. Those cities have way more black folks than Austin, way worse crime, poverty, wealth disparity, education disparity. Black kids in Milwaukee were likely to read at half the level of a white person of the same age. It's a huge bundle of reasons that relate to parents, schools, society, etc and none of us are smart enough to cover it all here. Still, bottom line is the average black person in those cities was at a major educational disadvantage. If you just looked at the resume of two 18 year olds, one white and one black, odds are the white kid would be far more prepared for anything. That's not right, but it's the statistics. I've known plenty of black folks who thrived in the business world there because they were qualified and worked hard. Did they have to work harder than a comparable white person? Maybe, can't say for sure.
I'll also say, that although I'm hardly super connected to the Austin business world, the networking events I have seen have been extremely white. I don't know or care what the reasons are, but when there are free events taking place that can lead to job opportunities, the black community needs to show up. Again, I only know a real select segment of the marketing community here, so my vantage point may be skewed. (edit) Also, my point here is not to think the black folks are overlooked. It *is* about networking. Granted, the two 9-5 jobs I've had in Austin weren't a result of networking, I still recognize that's how it works for most people. The thing is, you have to bust your ass to make your network do anything for you no matter what your skin color is. I got contract work through networking by putting in countless hours for free and bleeding every person I knew of anything value I could get from them. It's painful, tiring and makes you feel dirty, but that's the rotten America we've built for ourselves.
I'm talking about my experience speaking with hiring managers. There's limits when it comes to being overqualified (ie - taking a 50k pay cut), but if you expect to almost eliminate your training costs and get 2-3 years out of an employee, you'll win in the end financially. Especially since there is a possibility you'll retain that employee should opportunities for promotions arise. Not only can companies not afford the hiring costs of employees with lower qualification levels, they can't sacrifice the opportunity cost of lost productivity during the training period. The average fresh-outta-college kid could take 3 months before they really have a clue what they're doing in any professional environment. That's a lifetime given current business conditions.
Hey Unclemeat,
I have been staying away from this forum on purpose but saw your post and wanted to respond.
This debate is like the scientist saying that faith and everything mystical can be studied and quantified to produce a logical answer and I disagree about the comparison of resumes.
Most young black children that go to college quickly learn that they have to be 3 times better than their white counterparts to get ahead.
Yes it is about networking, yes the large cities have larger populations and as such a larger amount of crime, and companies do not want to hire less qualified individuals that they will have train etc.
Still your statements all seem to assume that the majority of young black professionals are not as qualified, do not bust their butts to network and have lower education qualifications.
What would you say to the young black professional that is doing all of those things with superior education and still not getting hired? or do you think its not a factor?
As a 40 year old professional, I still have to be 3 times better than all of my white counterparts and regardless of my excellent education, work history and credentials still have to really prove myself. Soo imagine how hard it is for someone much younger than me.
You say you dont see color..but maybe you subconsiously do. The reality is that your statements are based on asumptions thet you believe are logical but in fact carry the same stereo types that many people on this forum are talking about. Does it make you a bad person..no. But it does go back to the concept that Austin and the people who live it or move to it are not always as diverse as they claim themselves to be.
At the end of 2010, black Americans, 25 years old and older, with a college education had an unemployment rate of 7.3 percent, while the rate for white college graduates was 4.2 percent, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Other minority groups, such as Asian college graduates and Hispanics, hover a shade over 5.5 percent, while the rate for blacks was expected to continue climbing.
So I ask you Unclemeat are the 7.3 percent black college students ill prepared for school, not graduating with the same acclolades as their white counterparts, unable to network, not working hard enough etc? What about the 5.5 percent of Asians and Latinos? Are they working a little bit harder than the blacks but not as hard as the white kids? Or can you potentially concede that there is more to it?
I was recently in Houston for a conference and have to say it was so nice to be around a sense of diversity that one here only finds in the hall ways of Dell or some similar IT firm. Austin is a great town, but the pull yourself up by the boot strap is old and assumes that people who are not prospering are not trying hard enough.
I did not actually say work 3 times harder. I stated they have to be 3x better than their white counterparts.
Although it is not much of a difference..I think the definition should be crystal clear.
Im skeptical of this. Are you saying that if I have a white salesman and a black salesman, the black salesman has to sell 3X more?
If I have a paralegal, the black paralegal will have to process 3X more files or have 3X the quality?
If I have a marketing manager, they have to generate 3X more leads or 3X the number of ad impressions?
Im a minority and I usually tip 20-25% because I know people think that my minority group are bad tippers. But that is only 20% more than the standard 15% tip (not 3X)
Im skeptical of this. Are you saying that if I have a white salesman and a black salesman, the black salesman has to sell 3X more?
If I have a paralegal, the black paralegal will have to process 3X more files or have 3X the quality?
If I have a marketing manager, they have to generate 3X more leads or 3X the number of ad impressions?
Im a minority and I usually tip 20-25% because I know people think that my minority group are bad tippers. But that is only 20% more than the standard 15% tip (not 3X)
You're being way too literal and you know it! Anyone with common sense can see that he means that you have to outperform just to be considered on the same level. Accomplishments are routinely discounted and explained away. Since you like math so much: How many flukes could there be? How many 6 standard deviation events must occur before one sees that one employee is a major outlier? Nobody that outperforms wants equal treatment.
im not going to lie. and try to be 1 of those hippie liberal yuppies who lies and says everyone is welcomed.
Austin does not have a black scene at all
and as far as black proffesionals?
you might be better in atlanta, or baltimore, or d.c. or pittsburg, philly, hell i love baltimore btw.
anyhow the black metro population is like 7% its small. in the city its mostly consentrated in 1 part.
there is however a huge Latino Scene, heck you can immigrate from anywere in latin america and not even need to speak english in some areas of austin and its pretty cool in many ways.
but i do not think there is a Lot of other young black Professionals. i have seen these threads before and several (young black professionals) i recall 2 said and were telling the Thread Starter that Austin is not great for Black professionals who are young.
i realize the other Posters wont like a sterotype. but i will (sterotype break down austin for you) as much as i dislike sterotypes myself.
you got
rich folk
really rich folk
elitist
hippies
hipsters
middle class boring
immigrants
party crowds
college kids
party college kids
nerdy college kids
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