My parents weren't in IT either. I just went through high school like any other kid. I only decided in the last minute to then go to university to actually stud

My parents weren't in IT either. I just went through high school like any other kid. I only decided in the last minute to then go to university to actually study maths. Sure, it would have been nicer to be surrounded by math people, but I think you overstate the challenge you face just because your parents were not in IT. It is normal for kids to not have a lot of confidence in all sorts of things. That is why you get to be kid for quite a while before you have to make serious decisions about your life. Sure, it would be nicer for some things to work in another way. I am very interested in how to properly support kids. But I think you overstate the factor of race in your case. Actually, just a theory, but I think one problem of racism is that people who are discriminated against end up attributing more of their problems to their race than what is actually true. "Boss didn't trust my opinion? Must be because I am a woman" - but perhaps she was just new at the company so the boss preferred to ask somebody he knows he can already trust. And so on...