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.
Career Development
My previous job was with a consulting firm. I was there for about six years. I left because the company I was consulting for was going through reductions and consultants were going to be the first cut.
I worked my way through the company for 14 years. I did everything from testing devices to billion dollar sales. I did this for 13 years. In the 14th year, they brought in a sales person, who had no experience in testing or processing.
What broke the camel's back: I became a director of the non-profit organization that deals with industry standards, an organization that I worked on in my own free time. My name came up to become VP of the prestigious non-profit.
There are three levels of testing you have to go through. I graduated from one of the best engineering schools in the country. People said to me, "Sure, you have a PhD, but can you do real work? How good are you out here in the real world?" So I had to roll up my sleeves and prove my abilities like everybody else.
I started out in the area of testing and measurement. But overtime I wanted to navigate toward the development side and away from the stress of the manufacturing side, but corporate politics got in the way.
My advice is to pick the right projects. If I had picked the right project, I may still be in the corporation today. You've got to pick what you want to do. I knew the other project was going to be hot, but I stayed where I was comfortable because I knew more about that project. The guy who was on the other project is now a manager. That could have been me if I had been on that project
The first law firm I left specialized in environmental law and had about 40 to 50 attorneys. I left the firm because I wasn't getting the training I wanted. I wasn't getting the experience I needed. When I started comparing notes with people who graduated with me from law school and with associates at the firm, I realized the kind of assignments I was getting were completely different.
I got my job as a temp. I asked, "Is there a possibility I could apply for a fulltime job?" He said, "Yes, there are a lot of projects and opportunities." So when the one-year contract came up, I took it.
