Breaking the Glass Ceiling2 min read

Despite being the home of some of most famous celebrities, athletes and entrepreneurs, the BAME communities living in the Western World are still considered to be deprived in terms of career prospects.

Statistics in the UK after the recession show that the rate of unemployment of BAME people has increased up to 14.7%, with those from Bangladeshi and Pakistani backgrounds showing the highest rate of unemployment.

Before graduating University, my friends and I were in constant panic of what we would be doing after leaving as whenever we applied for jobs, there were hardly ever any replies back from employers.

And for those in the group who already had jobs for a long time, it was hard progressing up the career ladder.

As we’re all from minority backgrounds, the centre of blame was the infamous ‘Glass Ceiling Effect’ for our employability plunders.

However, six months on from my graduation ceremony and I have quite a different perspective on the whole ‘unacknowledged barrier’.

To put it simple, I say that the glass ceiling is only true if you decide to make it a truth in your life.

I know a few in my community who accept ‘fate’ as it is just because someone told them that they can’t amount to anything higher than what they already have.

I say that this is the wrong mentality to carry and can lead to serious consequences in your own personal development.

We must learn three core principles from all the successful BAME artists that have walked the earth: to work hard, innovate and not take ‘no’ for an answer.

Many quote Robert Frost claiming that the road to success is on the path that is less taken.

But I believe that in order to conquer personal obstacles, one must maintain their direction at an optimal path, not the least or most taken.

We are all human after all.

The key to breaking that glass ceiling is belief in the self rather than acceptance of what society puts forth to define you by.

Photo by Jilbert Ebrahimi on Unsplash