Vote on Desiree Davidson's Story
Were they afraid we were planning a coup d'etat?
I spent my first summer during Columbia Law School at a firm in Philadelphia described as one of the best places in the city for black lawyers. I believed that if there was any place where I would have an equal chance at opportunities, be treated fairly and succeed, this would be it. There were three black female summer associates out of sixty that year but any time all three of us were in an office talking, one of the partners would knock on the door to see how we were doing. It happened too often to be a coincidence that sometimes we would purposely agree to meet in so-and-so's office to test our theory that we were being monitored. Like clock work, ten minutes after we would get together a partner would stop by.
Engineering
My last encounter in corporate America-- the one that let me know without question that it was time for me to get out-- was when I was in charge of Quality Assurance (QA) for a software development company and they brought in a new QA Manager who knew nothing about QA.
The experience drove home the reality that regardless of how committed one is to the job or company in Corporate America, there are no safeguards or assurances that the company will be committed to the individual.
I would have stayed in the entire event did not occur. I ended up staying on for as long as I could because the market was tight at that time and the money I was making was great.
The only real way to protect one's job when working for an employer is to own part of the company. Even then there is no real assurance you will not be manipulated (by the board or your investors) but you would at least have a better chance at staying than the average employee.
Montel Johnson
When I first started at my current job, one particular older gentleman took to calling me "kid", which I didn't appreciate.
I'll answer this about my current employment, as I am considering a move to the non-profit sector. The experience of being called "kid" has always been in my face; that I'm considerably younger than most of my colleagues has made me work that much harder to show my professionalism to clients, prospective employees, etc.
I could incorporate my need to make a difference while at the company. For example, I would like to create a corporate foundation, but that idea has been shot down multiple times.
Prove yourself early on . . . do not let anyone walk on you when you first start, or they will continue to do so.
