At Bloomberg, innovation comes to life as a result of our 6,500 engineers’ various perspectives, lived experiences, nationalities, genders, as well as ethnic and racial backgrounds. Our inclusive culture places a high value on diverse ideas and teams, which leads to the creation of more unlikely ideas, better decisions being made, and fast, collaborative action among our people.
These four Black technologists work in our Engineering and Global Data departments in New York City. Two of them graduated from Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs). Each of them has worked at Bloomberg for more than five years, and all of them have held different roles across the company as they’ve grown and advanced in their careers here.
Through our conversations, we explore their journey to Bloomberg and what they do here, how their careers have progressed as they’ve grown professionally, their interests and impact in the technology sector, why they believe an inclusive workplace is important, as well as their own efforts to bring more diverse talent to tech. Following an incredibly challenging year in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Aubrey, we also asked them what has, hasn’t, and still needs to change in the workplace with regards to racial justice. Interviews were edited for length and clarity.
Evens Jean
Engineering Team Leader for AIM Valuations Workflows at Bloomberg
How did you get to Bloomberg? What do you work on now?
I joined Bloomberg in 2013, after working in tech in the Baltimore area for a couple of years. I learned of the position purely by luck; it popped up on my LinkedIn page as I was browsing around. As they say, the rest is history…
Since joining the company, I have worked on various products within Asset & Investment Manager (AIM) Engineering in support of our clients’ trading activities. The Valuations Workflows team maintains the Cash Management system within AIM, which tracks the impact of trades and position lifecycle events on clients’ portfolios.
Did you have any mentors or influential managers to guide your career along the way?
When I joined Bloomberg, I did not think of actively seeking a formal mentor. However, I have informally leveraged my network to help guide my career. One key piece of advice that has stuck with me since my early days is “your career at Bloomberg is what you make of it.” This has driven home the point for me that I needed to take charge of my career development. It has led me to take more risks, to raise my hand and ask to be part of projects, and to design discussions that I found to be in line with my professional aspirations. It also pushed me to get more involved in other activities across the company, such as recruiting and Best of Bloomberg (BOB) volunteer events, which I credit for setting the foundation for my becoming a co-lead of Bloomberg’s Black In Tech (BBIT) community.
What do you love most about working in tech?
As a student at heart, I have an insatiable thirst for solving complex problems. Working in tech is a dream come true for me, as it offers unique opportunities to solve real-life problems — be it through machine learning or the introduction of complex hardware, algorithms, or designs.
In health, education, and finance, technology allows developers to coordinate with experts in various fields and to introduce solutions that support the rapid analysis of information, which leads to insightful decisions. Furthermore, the field is constantly changing, offering lots of potential for continuous learning. There are always opportunities to learn about new tools and techniques.
Given the dynamic nature of the field and the fact that it permeates all facets of life, there are endless opportunities for one to innovate and challenge the status quo.
Are there any particular technologies that interest you?
I chose to work in tech primarily because of the constant opportunity to solve challenging problems. This is especially true in the environment at Bloomberg. However, I also get excited about my career in tech when I think about the promise of ubiquitous computing and how it integrates seamlessly into every aspect of our daily lives.
It is indescribable to be part of such a dynamic field, where new solutions, tools, algorithms are being introduced every day — all with the intent of improving our quality of life or supporting complex analysis. So, are there any particular technologies that interest me? For me, it’s whatever technology is most applicable to the current problem at hand. So, I am really interested in taking it all in and am always seeking to learn about new technologies whenever time permits.
What are some of the unique challenges that people of color face getting into tech / within the tech industry?
Representation is one of the most significant challenges faced by people of color in the tech industry. The lack of representation means there are few role models to inspire and mentors to serve as guides.
Representation impacts peer learning as well. As a graduate student, I was lucky enough to have other Black students in the program with me and that made a world of difference. We relied on each other for support, because none of us had access to mentors — within the program or otherwise — who could guide our steps.
Another downside to the lack of representation is that one can succumb to the idea that you represent your whole group. As a result of this hypervisibility, you may feel your successes are undeserved and your failures are further proof that your group is incapable of performing at a high level. This extra burden on the psyche is part of the emotional tax that comes with being Black in tech, something that can be detrimental to professional growth and success. Without greater representation, even talented people of color can suffer from imposter syndrome and put undue pressure on themselves, leading to failure or burnout.
In light of the heightened awareness of / discussion about racial justice in the workplace since last summer, what’s changed? What hasn’t? What still needs to change?
The heightened focus on racial justice has certainly changed the landscape. There are fewer people on the sideline, and more people have stopped turning a blind eye to the issue at hand. There is less of a need to explain the state of things. Instead, most of the discussion has shifted to strategizing about solutions.
There have been many pledges from individuals and companies alike, making the promise of a brighter future seems more realistic. However, accountability will be key to getting us there, so things like indexing or other forms of measurement are needed across the board. Bloomberg and other media/data companies will play a key role in tracking the numbers and the improvements at different organizations, to ensure these pledges are met.
In your opinion, why are diversity and inclusion important? How do you personally promote diversity and inclusion with your teams and/or in the community?
The most prized asset of any company is its employees. They are the driving force behind any success. Diversity and inclusion are about investing in the employees, ensuring that they remain engaged at work and can develop a growing sense of belonging — of community. The BBIT community aims at providing that space within Bloomberg for Black technologists and allies to build their networks and remain engaged.
As one of the co-founders of BBIT, I am always amazed at the level of engagement and enthusiasm that exists in our community chat. The energy in the chat is almost palpable, regardless of the virtual environment in which we are now operating. This gives me great hope for any current or future BBIT members who are looking for that sense of belonging.
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