When you think of getting started in the tech field it can feel confusing and out of reach. So, one man is doing his part to clear things up and help people find their place in the growing industry.
Joshua Walker says he has humble beginnings. He was working in the entertainment industry when things took a bad turn, he ended up homeless, and living with his wife’s grandmother.
Recommended Videos
It was then he realized he needed a change. Luckily he had a knack for technology and was eventually able to land a gig as an engineering lead at a top 100 firm.
It’s a job Walker says has given him security through the pandemic and he says it’s a field that can offer others the same. So, he is doing all he can to make sure people, especially those in the black community, who he says are very underrepresented in tech, have the resources they need to get started.
He helped create the group “Black Orlando Tech.” The goal is to help diversify the industry and give people who don’t have exposure to it a sense of belonging.
Walker says the group holds meetings where industry leaders meet up with newbies and people who want to know more about tech opportunities. The group has been around for four years, has about one thousand members and has secured funding through Orlando Economic Partnership to help them expand their efforts.
Walker has also written a book that he says highlights, “how I went from my lowest point to my highest point” and “takes very complex things and makes them feel accessible.” The book, Venti Fried Chicken, which Walker says is “a play on being a modern minority in the world today” can be found on Amazon.