What Should Work for Me?

I used to think that being an engineer was a good thing.  It would get me places.  It would get me things.  It would get me respect.  It would get me an interesting life.  It would work for me, if I worked for it.

During a discussion on advancement with a mid-level manager, I was told that I needed "to learn to make being a woman work for you."  I didn't ask him what he meant by that.  I couldn't believe what I'd just heard.

In white collar work, what does gender have to do with getting the job done?

I inquired of some of my male colleagues what they thought was meant by that.  It was sex.  That was my guess, too.

Why is it that my education and work history are not working for me?  Why doesn't being an engineer work for women?  Why does something extra have to be given?  Would he have said that to a man?  Would he have said to a man, "You need to learn how to make being a man work for you."?  I suspect he would have been left knocked out on the floor, in that situation.

Regardless, this was the capstone event that made me start preparing to leave the company and possibly leave engineering completely.

What should work for me?  Being an engineer.  It should work for all women choosing that profession.