Over the last six years, I've been told on a number of occasions that I should quit my job. Only recently did I realize that all four encounters were men telling me this lame advice. To my face.
Let's start here: YOU GO QUIT YOUR JOB, DICK.
For one, I have held at least two jobs throughout my undergraduate and graduate education. I was told I wouldn't be able to work two jobs in grad school. I actually worked six jobs at one point during grad school, including being an archival consultant for law firms. I also served as a student leader for two years, got straight A's (ok, ok, 3.8), and even managed to eek out a social life. So, actually, yes, I can handle grad school, multiple jobs and, well, pretty much anything else thrown in my general direction. School is fun for me, a game that I've become used to winning.
Next, I've earned my keep. I didn't get my jobs lightly; I work my ass off for all of them. Two men, one that doesn't know me and another that can't get a job in my field, said the same thing on different occasions: I should quit one of my jobs to give others a chance. Um, no thanks. They had there chance when I was a grad school punk with no experience and no degree. Now that I'm swimming with the professionals, all bets are off. Buck up or shut up.
Finally, I shared with someone that I was going to start on a PhD. And, this male then advised the same as the fools in the past - "You should quit your job." Seriously, that was the first piece of advice to me. When I look at the context of that comment, it's extraordinarily more entertaining, because it reveals certain insecurities that I can't help but chuckle at. So quaint.
I will treat the final case as I did the three before it. I ignore them. No one gets to force me to do anything. I don't even join book clubs because I'm not into people telling me what to read. So, in the end, I feel blessed that my "shitty advice radar" is super sensitive. I learned long ago to take advice with a grain of salt, because 9 times out of 10, people have no idea what they're talking about.
The following articles should show you that women in the workplace aren't going anywhere. Based on these articles, I can understand the desperate attempt of discouraging young women like myself from working hard. I'm amused by it and only mildly perturbed. The articles below and others like them are why I smugly laugh off the nonsense I've described above. The first listed Forbes article shows that sometimes the only thing in a woman's way is herself.
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