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.
Stifled Growth
I was stressed me out beyond belief and eventually even pitted my coworkers and myself against each other a bit, because they were all trying to stay out of the new manager's firing range.
I am currently thinking about leaving the company due the Chief Operations Officer, who happens to be the sister of the company owner.
I left a corporate job to take a part-time job that's only guaranteed for 2 years. I've been downsized 3 times and this time I was fed up by being reorganized to a dead end, totally unsatisfactory position - and got tired of hearing "but in a year it could change.
Four years after coming out of college, I accepted a technical position with IBM where I spent the next 12 years.
The change in work assignments made me feel marginalized, demoralized, under-utilized and I felt that I had been put into a dead-end job that more than doubled my daily commute.
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.
I was overlooked for a VP position despite an excellent track record and better qualifications than the new male hire
As PR director for Schlumberger's $2 billion IT services division, I consistently collected substantial bonuses, and was given stock options, which the company only gives to top 5% achievers.
I worked at a law firm in San Francisco where one of the name plate partners, who had a fetish for Asian women (I'm a Latina), always excluded me from office lunches, activities, and was very rude to me.
It's difficult to assess what you're getting yourself into when you're applying for a job at any business, corporation, or law firm.
I was groomed to ascend to executive status in a fast track management program for an international financial institution.
