Irrelevant?
I'm female, over 40 and have been in the IT Field since 2000. I worked for a vendor that I had to fight to get him to realize my potential. They would give me "different" jobs than the male techs. For instance, they would install wires in the ceilings and throw wires and I would not. One day at the job I got up on the ladder and through the wires with the guys and he said "well I guess you can throw wire like the guys." A few months later it was time for raises. The males all received raises and I was told "I'm comfortable with what we are paying you." And then he added "we are restructuring the business and might put everything in our sisters name to have it a woman owned company, we will probably be using you as a project manager more this summer as we feel you are ready to take that on." Sooooooooooo, I'm ready to take on more and do more--but not ready for a raise? He realized just how much I learned when I was asked by one of his largest clients to come work for them. I became my own vendor for them through Gateway taking away all of my old jobs revenue while creating revenue for my new job in the form of discounts, paid warranted repairs etc.
The job I have currently I have asked repeatedly since 2009 to be part of the virtual project once it came to our school. The project is now underway but the person in our part of IT that is working on the project is the 23 year old male they just hired from the outside to work here. The higher ups were told we were not interested in learning virtual or new technologies to do our jobs and that we wanted everything to stay the way we are currently doing it. Could not be further from the truth!
While I don't want quotas nor do I want to be hired to fill a quota, I do want to be treated equally and given the same opportunities. I am capable and willing to learn and grow within IT and I expect my employer to be as committed to continually training me as I am committed to continually learn.
