Social networking is as hot and consistent as San Diego’s weather. From following our heroes to being followed by a group of people that hang on your every character (and maybe not your character), Twitter is at the forefront of this new wave of community groupthink. But who is at the forefront of Twitter? A recent study shows that among internet users, 16% of African Americans use Twitter or a similar status update service compared with 9% of white users. However, with all of this internet usage by African Americans and other minorities, the fact that minorities only make up 8.3% of the entry-level tech workforce should be cause for concern.

It seems that a high interest in social networking should have some sort of impact on tech workforce racial distributions. Yet, according to Black Enterprise Magazine, it seems to have an inverse impact at best. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, the White online population of social networkers is 31%, which is 12% lower than African Americans and 17% lower than Hispanics. Yet the white population absolutely dominates these two groups in Tech Workforce population in every level, entry to high.

The jobless rate went to 9.4% last month as companies cut 247,000 jobs, after slashing 443,000 jobs in June. The African American unemployment rate continued its southern trend for the third straight month, hitting 14.5%. Although this rate is .2% better than the previous month, blacks are still being hurt by this economy in a worse rate year after year. Unemployment is 4.6% higher this year than last year, and it doesn’t seem like an end is in sight.

Minorities obviously have an interest in using the computer for social networking purposes. Perhaps it’s time to utilize that flare for the internet to build a career in the tech workforce. In this ailing economy, why not try your hand at an industry that you already have an interest in? All it requires is a few classes and some structure instilled by the hardworking instructors out there that can develop a strong computer foundation in you. The internet is the wave on which the world currently balances. Unlike most other industries, this wave does not indicate a crash at any point in the future. So don’t just surf the internet any longer. Be a part of the fastest and most stable industry around. Check out the programs available to you today.