Asian American Study

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Number
Date
Reactions
I believe racial discrimination in the workplace is still an issue of great concern throughout the country. It is disheartening to learn that Asians and Asian Americans often fell prey to racial discrimination even though they are considered more intelligent and educated as compared to other minority groups. The question of why they are often neglected when promotions to the top executive seats remain engraved in the minds of many Asians who believe that they are stereotyped and discriminated. In the long run, this ends up demoralizing them from seeking top offices because they rely on the misconception that whites always have the upper hand. However, some Asians and Asian Americans are suffering from abject poverty in places such as Cambodia and thus leading to income equality (“PBS.org”). Most people who live in Cambodia live below the poverty line. Most of the Silicon Valley companies doubt the capability of women to occupy top executive positions because the industry is believed to be male-dominated.
Personal Connection
I have a desire and zeal to become a successful corporate entrepreneur preferably in the media sector. My employment goals are inspired by the desire to introduce change into a job market that judge people based on racial lines. However, my ultimate desire is to climb the social class ladder hoping to become a member of the high socioeconomic class. I believe there are various structural factors which influence my career path because I am afraid of venturing into professions that will judge me based on my race or nation of origin.

As the US continues to impose severe laws regarding immigration, families live in fear of being deported. I come from a middle-class family, and some of the incidences I have encountered have an impact on my career choices. My dad was a victim of the bamboo ceiling he decided to quit following numerous incidences of racial discrimination (“Daily Motion”). I do not want to face the same ordeal and therefore exercise caution when choosing the career path to venture into. Most Silicon Valley companies prefer promoting white workers at the expense of other workers without considering performance and productivity.
Perspective
There exists a disparity regarding the challenges that Asian American professionals and Asian American laborers face. Professionals are motivated to further their skills and seek a promotion while laborers will be looking forward to placing food at their tables. Schiavenza (1) argues that Silicon Valley companies will prefer hiring Asian Americans as professionals but will not promote them to managerial positions. Asian professional expects to be promoted to the top executive companies, but this rarely happens. Instead, most tech companies will consider hiring or promoting a white candidate as compared to an Asian American applicant (Gee and Peck 1). Asian American laborers, on the other hand, will be striving to make ends meets because most of them are low-income earners. The number of employment opportunities available for Asian American laborers is limited, and the salary may be insufficient to sustain their families (Kochhar and Cilluffo 1).
Further thinking
After reading this week’s reading, the following questions can serve as a guide to further thinking:
Why do most Silicon Valley companies hire and promote their workforce based on racial lines?
Does the situation at Cambodia refute the claim that most Asians and Asian Americans are intelligent and learned?
Works Cited
Daily Motion. Asian Workers On the Bamboo Ceiling in Silicon Valley. 2018, https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3hnmut. Accessed 20 Nov 2018.
Gee, Buck, and Denise Peck. “Asian Americans Are the Least Likely Group in The U.S. To Be Promoted to Management.” Harvard Business Review, 2018, https://hbr.org/2018/05/asian-americans-are-the-least-likely-group-in-the-u-s-to-be-promoted-to-management. Accessed 20 Nov 2018.
Kochhar, Rakesh, and Anthony Cilluffo. “Income Inequality in The U.S. Is Rising Most Rapidly Among Asians”. Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project, 2018, http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/07/12/income-inequality-in-the-u-s-is-rising-most-rapidly-among-asians/. Accessed 20 Nov 2018.
PBS.org. Episode 6: Pass or Fail in Cambodia Town. 2018, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/america-by-the-numbers/episodes/episode-106/. Accessed 20 Nov 2018.
Schiavenza, Matt. “Silicon Valley’s Forgotten Minority”. Asia Society, 2018, https://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/silicon-valleys-forgotten-minority. Accessed 20 Nov 2018.