Wearing the Trousers

5 Unemployment Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:57:00 +0000

I'm writing this post in the middle of the afternoon, from the couch, while watching Downton Abbey on Netflix. That's because I'm currently unemployed. This is the fourth layoff of my career, but I'm lucky to be able to say it's been 7 years since I've been on the dole. Since I have the time, I figured I'd share some tips for dealing with unemployment.

1. File for unemployment immediately. There isn't much about this process that's changed in the time that I've been away from it. I was told it would take 3-4 weeks to start receiving payments, which is the same as it was 7 years ago. I once filed for unemployment by phone from a hotel room while on vacation just to get the process started. In Massachusetts, you have to open a claim either in person or on the phone. The one thing I did notice is that it's harder to get the process started this time around, probably because of the higher unemployment rate (which is getting lower, thankfully). I had to call several days in a row before I got an actual person who could open my claim. However, there have been a few welcome upgrades to the department of unemployment. After your claim is opened, you can fie for your weekly benefits, sign up for direct deposit and keep your log of employment activities online. Hooray for progress!

2. References, Recommendations, Resumes. Did you know that the more recommendations you have on your LinkedIn profile, the higher you appear in search results when employers search for people with your skills? I had no idea until a friend told me. So I quickly reached out to former coworkers and bosses to beef up my profile. LinkedIn even makes it easy by giving you a form letter to send the request. I also uploaded my resume and made it public on Monster.com, Dice.com and Indeed.com. So while I'm searching around for jobs, hopefully people are also searching for me. I got some annoying and irrelevant phone calls about jobs, but for the most part, I received emails. Create a folder in your inbox and the influx of emails is totally manageable.

3. Don't get too much off schedule. I'm not a morning person, so I'm really tempted to use this time to sleep late and be more of a night owl. But since most job interviews are going to take place during business hours, I need to be awake and available. I'm not hauling myself out of bed at 6am, but I am making sure that I'm alert and up by 9am every day. I do get to sleep in a little. And I am still in my pajamas today. But I also have a pen, notebook and fully charged cell phone within reach for when opportunities come my way. My resume is also sitting open on my laptop in case I need to refer to it.

4. Don't spend all day job hunting. Give yourself a time limit each day for trolling job boards and crafting cover letters. Don't spend every day all day on this stuff, or you will go nuts. Trust me on this one. I'm flexible when setting up times for in person or phone interviews. But for applications and searching the internet, I give myself until noon or 1pm each day, and then that's it. I make sure I give myself time to do other things with my day, like yoga or taking a walk. There are only so many jobs out there at any given time; spending more or less of your day looking for them is not going to change that. Once you apply for a job, there's nothing you can do but wait to hear back. So try to cut yourself some slack. And that brings me to the last tip:

5. Get out of the damn house. Staying in the house 24/7 eventually gets on the nerves of pretty much everybody. And hey, when you go to the supermarket at 11am on a Tuesday, you can have almost the whole place to yourself. If you have no job you're definitely shopping on a budget. I'm a throw-it-in-the-carriage-and-get-the-hell-out kind of shopper, but I'm usually in the store after work when I'm starving or on the weekends when I'd rather be doing something else. If you go when the store is empty, you might actually take the time to compare prices on items and save yourself a few cents here and there. Every bit counts, right? I also like to go meet friends I don't get to see often and grab a quick lunch near their office. It doesn't have to be pricey, you can eat an appetizer and order a glass of water. Maybe your employed friend will even treat. Meet a stay at home friend at a park for a brown bag lunch. Or head to the library, grab something to read and sit outside for a bit.

Being unemployed is not a vacation. I don't think of it as "me" time or an opportunity to relax. Anybody who sees it that way has never been unexpectedly laid off with their mortgage and car payment looming. I just try to make the best of it and focus on finding my next job. What are your strategies for coping with unemployment? I'm all ears.

Geek in Heels: It's the Economy, Ladies

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:02:00 +0000

I'm featured again today on the Geek in Heels blog. Please stop by and check out my post, It's the Economy, Ladies.

Get Back to Work

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:30:00 +0000

There have been two great articles this month that say the same thing and after reading them I realized I couldn't agree more. There is a way to end persistent unemployment right now but corporate America needs to step up and get on it.

This excellent Wall Street Journal article even comes with handy info graphics, but the Fast Company one is worth reading as well. Here's the situation. Many employers have specialized jobs they can't fill. Many people are out of work because the industries that employed them are fading away. It seems obvious, doesn't it? Train unemployed people to do some of these jobs. Or train up existing employees for the specialized jobs and give the lower level job that person leaves behind to someone that needs it. Simple, right?

The problem is that too many employers have narrow focus. As the WSJ article states, to get a job, most companies make it a requirement that you have already done that job. Honestly, what is the point? I really am not motivated to leave one job and go to the exact same job somewhere else. There's no career growth that way, and it's not very motivating to think that you won't get a chance to learn anything new when changing jobs.

Many companies are also using their current employees to cover way too much work load. Now that it's been almost a year since I left my last job, I can say that one of my reasons was being burned out. I was trying to do a job that should have been split up between at least two people. When it became clear there was no intention of easing my workload, the only thing I could do was quit.

I understand that in a crappy economy, companies have to be really careful about bringing in the right people. I can't think of a better, happier employee than one who badly needs a job and receives training so they can perform that job. I've been unemployed. If someone made me that offer in return for signing a year contract or something similar, I would have done it in heartbeat. The program at Chrysler that starts union works at lower wages but promises a chance to learn on the job and advance has produced loyal, hard working employees. What more can a company ask for?

It's clear major changes are needed to get this country back on track. One of those things should be better job training programs in high schools, colleges, vocational schools and federal programs. That's going to take time. American companies are in the best position to get training programs in place and put people back to work right now. Corporate big wigs probably don't read this blog. But they should be reading the Wall Street Journal. It's about time everyone starts getting back to work.

Geek in Heels: Rise of the Geek Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:30:00 +0000

I'm really excited to have been asked back as a guest blogger at Geek in Heels, one of my favorite blogs. Please check out my post over there: Rise of the Geek Girl. Thanks!

What's So Funny Bout Peace, Love and Work-Life Balance?

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:12:00 +0000

I see many articles about women's search for the ever elusive work-life balance. So this take, Are Men Expected to Have Work-Life Balance?, written by a guy, is pretty refreshing. The prevailing sentiment is that women desperately seek it, but men are just meh about it. They don't need to worry about it, because their wives are busy doing it for them. What I wonder is, why don't more men think about it? This article indicates that maybe they do.

Now that both women and men continue to work outside the home after they have kids, I'm surprised this hasn't come up more often. Women are no longer expected to marry and then stay home to keep the house, or work until they have kids and then stay home. So there is definitely a lot of logistics that need to be figured out in a household with two working parents. Men are no longer expected to contribute only by working to support their family. There's so much involved in parenting these days. It seems to me that all parents should be thinking about how to have work-life balance.

Don't Dad's want to occasionally chaperone field trips (ok, no one really likes that) and go to baseball and ballet practices? Men are more involved than those Dads of old who expected to be met at the door with their pipe and slippers and not to be bothered by any kids until they've had time to relax. So why are women the only ones worried about whether their career really allows them to spend enough time with the kids? Moms are still seen as the primary parent, even if they work. We're starting to see a big shift in that, so it seems only right that a Dad who mulls over being a stay at home parent for financial or other reasons would have the same concerns about work vs. home life.

Guys, we want to know that you care about this stuff too. If you are taking on more of the household chores, why not strive for that work-life balance while you're at it? Most of the guys I know say they don't want to be the same kind of distant Dad their fathers and grandfathers were. I think each generation of Moms are try to redefine what "having it all" means. It's about time that men start doing it too.

Pass Me a Bottle, Mrs. Jones

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:30:00 +0000

Celebrating our summer vacation in CA

Since there's been a lot of talk about women (or lack thereof) in the tech industry here and elsewhere lately, I was happy to see an article about women in another industry entirely - beer making.

Double X recently featured this great piece on female brewmasters. Long the domain of Paul Bunyan-esque manly men (at least in more recent times) women are stepping into the brewery. It makes sense to me that this is happening at a time when it seems more women are into beer in general.

I never liked beer. My Dad is a Bud and Coors Light guy. My first beer experience was taking a sip here and there when I would fetch him cold ones from the fridge. I was not impressed. So I assumed I didn't liked beer. What I found out much later is that I didn't like that type of beer. Once I had sampled some other options like Sam Adams and Guinness, I began to see that not all beer tasted the same. There was such a thing as good beer after all. Imagine that.

When I was a kid I only ever saw one woman drink a beer. My Grandma was a good old fashioned teetotaler (which she pronounced tea-toe-tailor). All the other women in my family were drinking wine or nothing at all. At a family cookout, my aunt walked past them all to the cooler where the guys were clustered and cracked open a beer. Everyone except my uncle seemed a little surprised that she even wanted one. It just wasn't something we saw very often.

I think many women used to think the same way, that beer was a guys drink. Women seemed to prefer mixed drinks or wine. You were more likely to see a woman on a beer label than a woman with a beer in her hand. And while brands like Budweiser still use bikini models to cater to men, I've noticed that the beers I tend to drink have marketing (and labels) that are much more gender neutral. Coincidence?

Women have already infiltrated a lot of other traditionally male spaces. Now after a long day of doing all that hard work, we're coming for the beer.

Is There Such a Thing as the Wrong Kind of Startup?

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:45:00 +0000

This Forbes article from last month ponders if women are starting the wrong kind of startups. It all started with a tweet from tech journalist Jolie O'Dell which was much discussed by both men and women in tech. In her 140 characters O'Dell said she's embarrassed that women only seem to create startups about babies, fashion and shopping. I'm paraphrasing, but I think I said it a bit nicer than she did.

Is this just another example of that thing women do where we get bitchy and tear each other down? If there's a dearth of women founding tech companies, why complain about the type of companies they decided to start? It's also worth noting that there are successful companies run by men in these same spaces, Etsy and Zappos being two of the biggest.

I have to wonder if it's more of a perception problem. If there were a shopping equivalent of Facebook founded by women, would it be taken as seriously as, well, Facebook? No one doubts the influence of amazon.com. They started as a shopping site and have expanded into much more. If the site was just based in fashion instead of a wide array of items, maybe it wouldn't be as revered as it is. It's worth considering that there is a bit of a prejudice against endeavors that aren't serious enough or "techie" enough. I feel the same way about blogger vs. mommy blogger (which seems to always be said with disdain). But that's a whole different post.

If I was going to start my own company, I would focus on something I know. Take a look at all the fashion blogs, TV shows and magazines out in the world. Who is reading/watching all those? Mostly women. So it's not a surprise that many women would choose something like fashion to get their feet wet in the tech startup world. There's nothing saying they can't go on to found the next Google after they get their silly little mommy venture off the ground and sell it for a million dollars. I hope they are laughing all the way to the bank.

52 Flavors and Then Some

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:30:00 +0000

I love the humility of this article, My 52 Biggest Mistakes. Really, 52? Yikes. Ok, the article focuses on three specific ones which are career and life related.

I have to say the second one about trusting yourself is a big one for me. I went through a period of time when I only spent a year or less at each company I worked at. Doesn't it to take about 3 months to feel settled in a new job? During those times I just tried to absorb as much as possible. Unless I was specifically asked for my opinion, I didn't give it. You can't really take a definite position on anything when you are still trying to get the lay of land.

It's also easy to start second guessing yourself when no one else agrees with you. Not a fun situation but I think we've all been there. The worst thing is when you're proven right after the fact. Remember Peter Schiff? When this starts happening more often than not, it's probably time to start looking for a new job. Either you are too smart for that job, or that company is too stupid to stay in business for the long haul. Not a good fit any way you you look at it.

I feel like I'm finally at the point where I can stand my ground when I need to, but not take it personally when things go a different way. I know I used to assume that meant I was wrong. There are many factors that go into business decisions, and sometimes your opinion just doesn't factor into the big picture. It doesn't mean it's not valid or useful. If anything, putting it out there might help you more than it helps your company. There's nothing wrong with that.

You Make Me Feel Like a Digital Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:30:00 +0000

This weekend was the She's Connected conference, celebrating "digital women in social media". I learned about this too late to attend and I have to confess, my husband is the one who actually found out about it. Events like this and the annual BlogHer conference intrigue me. Would I fit there, with my little old blog? I'm not sure. And what exactly is a digital woman?

What appeals to me is that it takes something solitary like blogging and gives it a more social component. Women have always been social. But now instead of gathering around the PTA or the shopping mall, we can gather around our shared technology. Amid all that socializing, there may even be an opportunity to learn something. That certainly appeals to my nerdy side.

Ladies, are we in fact getting more ~~nerdy~~ tech savvy? Mommy Bloggers, Twitter celebrities, iPhone junkies, reading books on your Kindle. Maybe this what the whole digital woman things is all about. Gadgets and gizmos are everywhere, so you might as well get on board. When women embrace this stuff instead of ignoring it, we get cool things like TaskRabbit and the Personal Robots Lab at MIT.

But it doesn't have to be all about work. I'm a big fan of combining your passions with technology. A great example is Nataly Dawn of Pomplamoose. Her band gained fame by making quirky videos of cover songs on YouTube. When she wanted to make a more serious solo album, she funded it by running a Kickstarter campaign, where she exceeded her goal in only 3 days. Are you more of a fashionista in your free time? This New York Times article features fashion bloggers who have turned a hobby into all kids of opportunities. Pretty cool.

If this is the world of the digital woman, I'm all for it.

Tech Tip: Ask Lots of Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Photo by Helga Weber

I decided to add a new item to this blog. I like to write about women in the workplace and their experiences. But I'm also a woman working in technology, which is something I don't mention quite as much. I'm 10 years in at this point, so I'd like to think I have some insights to offer. So, here's my first Tech Tip.

Always ask questions. That's a given for job interviews, but I find it useful for everyday as well. You don't learn anything if you don't ask about it, or at least I don't. I started out at software and dot com companies as an assistant in various departments. Almost every skill I use to do my current job is something I learned at another job along the way.

One of my first jobs after college was a 2 day a week job share as the receptionist at a music software company. I sorted and distributed mail and packages and answered the phones. Occasionally, I typed a memo for one of the managers. The most technical part of that job was using Microsoft Word.

The only time I had ever been in a business office was as a cleaning person (that experience deserves its' own post). Coming out of college with a music degree, I was excited to have landed something that was sort of relevant to my major. But cleaning offices doesn't help you figure out what goes on in one. Even after I got the hang of my own job, I had no idea what anyone else was doing, or why.

I figured out the tech support team had the best insight into the software product itself, so I asked them to show me how it worked. I think everyone was surprised that the part time receptionist wanted a product demo. You don't need to know what the product does to answer the phones. I mentioned that I had been a music student and was told they could probably find me a promo copy to use at home. I decided not to mention that I didn't even own a computer. The real reason I wanted that demo was to help me understand what we were all doing there every day.

Eventually I got that software demo. I felt better doing my daily tasks when I had some insight into the product the company was selling. Interestingly enough, it also helped me do my job. Answering the phones meant I had to send calls to customer service or to tech support. There were less tech support staff, and they always seemed to spend a longer time on the phone with each person than the customer service staff. After seeing the product, even though I didn't understand all of it, I was usually able to figure out who really needed to spend time with tech support and who could be straightened out by a quick chat with customer service. Once I got the hang of it, I knew I was doing more than just pushing buttons when I transferred calls. I didn't last long at that job; the other receptionist came back to work full time after a few months. But it was a great first job.

A few jobs later, I was at a dot com company where our success hinged on keeping our ever changing website up and running. I was an editorial assistant responsible for preparing content, coddling the writers and attempting to keep everyone on a publishing schedule. I didn't spend much time on the actual website, but I had a knack for finding parts of it that were broken when I did. I was always sending one of the engineers, a friend of a friend, screenshots of problems I was finding during the day. We were always trying new designs and adding new features. Things were changing so fast that no one was keeping track of it all. The editorial team was constantly frustrated that online tools they used were breaking. During one of our meetings, I asked my boss who was responsible for reviewing the new page templates and features before they went live on the website, more out of frustration than for any other reason. Other than the engineers, who had their hands full, it turned out no one was. Not too long after that, I found myself part of new team that made sure everything was reviewed before it was put out there for the world to see. Little did I know that was called Quality Assurance, and working on that team was actually the start of the career path I'm still on now.

It makes no difference how long I've been at a job or what my responsibilities are. I still rarely get through a day without asking a few questions about what I'm working on. I always learn something from those conversations, even if I don't use it right away. I think of it as creating a little encyclopedia of knowledge in my brain that I can refine over time. It started out of necessity, but I can say with confidence that 10 years into my career, asking questions is a valuable skill that you should never put aside no matter how high up the ladder you get. Because you can always learn something new, even when you think you're just there to answer the phones.

Workplace as Crisis Center: 9/11/01

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:08:00 +0000

I read a lot of great September 11th blog posts. It made me want to write my own. But it took me a long time. I was surprised that after all this time, I was still pretty emotional about it.

I remember it was a beautiful Fall day and there were no clouds in the sky. As I drove to work, news started to break that there had been an explosion at the World Trade Center in New York. Initial reports suggested it might have been caused by a small plane crash.

The office of the software company I worked at had a kitchen area where 2 TVs had just been installed. Everyone in the office was standing in that kitchen area, silently staring at the TVs. Just after I walked in, we watched the live feed of the second plane hitting the towers. People started crying. I decided at some point to go to my desk. The office was full of people, but eerily quiet.

I don't remember how long it was before the information came out that the planes used in the attacks flew out of Boston. I know I was back in the kitchen and saw it scroll by on the ticker that was running underneath the footage of the towers in flames. I think it was after I had seen the South tower collapse. I ran back to my desk in a panic. I went online looking for more information, any information about the flights. A few minutes later my boyfriend called to see if I had heard about the planes that crashed into the Trade Center. We both went quiet, neither one of us wanting to say what were both thinking. Finally he said, "Your Dad." All I could say was, "I know."

We had been to see my parents that Sunday. My Dad was going on about how he had to go out to his company's headquarters in California on Tuesday, and was flying out of Boston's Logan airport for the first time in over a year. He talked about how the company had been flying him out of Manchester, NH to save money, and that he had come to prefer using the smaller airport. He was not looking forward to driving in early morning traffic for his 8am flight.

Phone lines were jammed. Transmission to all mobile phones was cut. So many people in my office were trying to get online to various news sites that we crashed our network. It was like being on a remote island and trying to keep up with the rest of the world a thousand miles away. I had a small radio on my desk, which I tuned to an all news station. Soon I had it cranked as loud as it would go so everyone nearby could hear. A woman I didn't know came by and asked if she could sit in my cubicle and listen. She said her brother worked at the Pentagon. I told her I thought my Dad was on one of the planes that hit the Trade Center. We hugged.

My boss told me to go home and be with my family. But this was before everyone had cell phones. I knew if anyone was trying to reach me, they would call work, expecting me to be there. I didn't dare leave my desk.

It was late afternoon when I found out that my Dad had been on a plane that was forced to land somewhere in rural Pennsylvania. I still stayed at work until 5pm, even though I didn't accomplish anything. No one did. I simply didn't know where else to go. The woman whose brother worked at the Pentagon stopped by on her way out to say that she knew he was ok. We hugged again.

I've lost contact with the people I worked with then. The after effects of that day torpedoed the company's software product and a year later, most of us had been laid off. Even though I will probably never talk to them again, I am grateful for every person who was with me that day. I was scared, but I wasn't alone.

How Well Does Your Wardrobe Hold Up?

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 02:01:00 +0000

Didn't I just write about the minefield that is the office summer dress code? Well, case in point, poor Kate Middleton had a near wardrobe malfunction on her North American tour the other day. I hate to say it, but this is why I usually wear pants, Kate.

By Chris Jackson, Getty Images

If you've seen any other pictures of the royal couple in their travels lately, you can see how well put together they look. Who gets off a plane looking that polished? It's actually really nice to see women like Kate and Michelle Obama looking beautiful and stylish doing everyday things. They both make a habit of wearing the kind of clothes that most women can actually pull off. In some cases, even the clothes themselves are actually affordable. I'm sure they each have their own hairdressers and makeup people at the ready, but we don't have to think about that part.

It happened to be a windy day when she got off that plane. There's no way she could have known that her skirt was going to blow up like that. Now that I no longer travel to work everyday in the safe cocoon of my car, I can relate. For example, did you know it's a tough climbing on and off the bus in a pencil skirt? And you can forget running for a bus or train in heels like Kate is wearing here. Today I got stuck running through an unexpected downpour in a dress and sandals. It was not fun.

So, I'm not going to say anything mean. I get it. Looking good can be hard work sometimes.

What Not to Wear to Work

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 02:30:00 +0000

Does your office have a summer dress code? I got an email in January saying that I was free to wear shorts, so it's not something I need to worry about. Yes, even I can be persuaded to trade in my beloved trousers this time of year. Still, hot weather can bring up what I will nicely call unique challenges. I wouldn't want to be an HR rep right now.

It's not just HR people who worry about it; even Martha Stewart sent out a summer dress code email a few years back. But in the absence of an actual spelled out policy, it's up to you to figure out what is and is not ok to wear to the office when the mercury is climbing outside. And some people are not very good at that.

My favorite example is a person who came in to interview for a temp position. She was wearing flip flops and you could clearly see her bathing suit straps peeking out from under her t-shirt. She didn't even bother to take the sunglasses off the top of her head. Ok, it was summer time, and only a temp job. But you can probably guess that she didn't get it. Here's a little something about dos and don'ts of summer office attire for you, sweetie. Maybe you can take it to the beach, which is probably where you will be spending your entire summer unless you actually read it. And guys, I found just as many articles on what is office appropriate for you during the summer as I did for the ladies, so you are not exempt either.

That being said, I do think summer dress codes should be more relaxed. While I understand the no sandals policy created by a boss with an aversion to seeing other people's feet, I don't entirely agree with it. It's going to be 90s degrees out! Sure, the office has air conditioning, but I have to get there first. Do you want me to show up all sweaty and disheveled or can I actually bare my arms? The AC is usually blasting so cold that I end up putting on a sweater immediately anyway.

Happy first day of summer. Dress responsibly, but also make sure to spend plenty of time outside the office.

You Go (to Work) Girl!

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Sat, 14 May 2011 17:16:00 +0000

I wrote this post last month and apparently never actually clicked that pesky little Publish button. Fabulous! While I brush up on modern technology, please enjoy!

I love this Newsweek article from last month about the lengths companies are going through to keep smart, qualified women in India from quitting their jobs when they start families. And maybe I'm a bit jealous. I think it could start quite a revolution there. Women in India are the hub of the family and expected to be the caretakers for both children and their parents (their own and sometimes their husband's as well). Sound familiar?

This just proves that most other countries get it. The exception still being here in the US, of course. In fact, it's mostly foreign-based companies with offices in India that are working so hard to keep their female employees. On the one hand, it's practical. If you have invested in training the employees, as many of these companies that set up shop in India do, you want to make the most of that investment and keep them working for you as long as possible. But it seems there's more to it than that. I think companies are finally starting to understand the value of their employees again. If flex time and a convenient day care center can keep great employees from flying the coop, it's worth it. Happy employees are more productive, after all.

The days of spending your entire career at the same company and retiring with a gold watch and pension are long gone. A good employee during that time could expect to rise through the ranks of the company and do pretty well for themselves. It's a win for the company and the employee. Once that stopped being the norm, companies started to look at employees as more disposable and even interchangeable. Why bother rewarding them when you know they aren't in it for the long haul? The choice to stay at company or not is now up to the employee, not the employer. The question employers should ask is; How can we set ourselves apart so that the best people want to work here?

I'll never forget the way the manager treated us when I was a supermarket cashier (yep, this job was worth it just for the stories I ended up getting out of it). If he asked one of us to do something we obviously weren't too keen on, like skipping our legally mandated breaks because the store was busy, he would point his finger right in your face and yell "You are replaceable! Don't you forget it!" and storm off. Sure, it was my after school job, and I was most definitely replaceable, especially since I sucked at counting back change. But that's not the point. No one wants to feel replaceable. Sure, I love singing along to "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce, because it feels empowering, but I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it.

My S word

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 01:00:00 +0000

My last post mentioned that I was treated at Children's Hospital in Boston as a child. This is the second time I've brought that up here in the blogosphere. Both times, people have messaged me privately to ask if I am ok now, or what happened to me. I realized that being mysterious is not helping anyone, least of all me. So, meet my own personal S-word, the thing I dare not speak of: Scoliosis.

Did you ever have that test as a kid where you bend down and touch your toes while wearing a bathing suit or open hospital gown? That's a scoliosis check. By the time they started doing them in my elementary school, I already had it. Scoliosis can appear out of nowhere or it can be genetic, which it is in my case. It happens more frequently in girls than boys. It is rarely life-threatening, but can be disfiguring. Remember Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame? Ok, not quite as bad as that, he had a whole other thing going on there as well, but you get the idea of a very extreme example.

BOSTON SCOLIOSIS BRACE

My treatment started when I was 8, which I have learned since is pretty young, but I was already showing a pretty significant curvature in 2 places in my spine (called an S curve, as opposed to the more standard C curve). I wore a back brace very similar to the one shown here for 8 years, 23 hours a day. I had one hour off for physical therapy (45 minutes a day) and taking a shower. I managed to find a way to get all my physical therapy crammed into 30 minutes and then started taking really, really long showers, which is something I still love doing. It feels like the ultimate freedom and indulgence.

My treatment was extremely aggressive, so it was both physically and mentally grueling. In the long run, it saved me from the only other option available at the time; having a very invasive surgery. I understood why I had to do it, but that didn't make it any easier. It certainly didn't make me a better patient. I threw my fair share of temper tantrums. I even tossed said back brace down a flight of stairs thinking that would be the end of it, but that thing was indestructible. And that summer my best friend moved into a house with an above ground pool and I couldn't go swimming? Excruciating.

I guess I've been reluctant to talk about it because if you look at me now, you would never know any of that stuff ever happened. Well, I have been told I have unusually good posture, which I'm sure is a byproduct of spending my formative years encased in fiberglass, but other than that. And it's taken me a long time to admit how hard it really was, and accept that it's ok to say that. Even as a kid, I tried to keep it a secret that I was wearing this thing under my clothes all the time. I just wanted to be normal. Still, there's nothing normal about having to sit out 8 years of gym class (even though that was the one awesome part) or needing to be rescued when someone who doesn't know your little secret thinks it's hilarious to toss you into a swimming pool and you sink to the bottom.

I will always have scoliosis, even though it is moderate now and only an x-ray or an observant doctor would give me away. Or one of those old school scoliosis tests, I suppose. I am thankful for that. It is part of who I am and has shaped some of my experiences, but it doesn't define me. If you have your own personal S-word, I hope you are able to conquer it. I feel like I am on my way.

It Doesn't Pay (as Much) to be Doctor

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:00:00 +0000

(Illustration: Jared Rodriguez / t r u t h o u t

I live in an area of the country where I have access to some of the best medical care in the world. It's one of the things that makes me grateful to live here, despite how much I've complained about our terrible winter this year. I spent a lot time at Children's Hospital here in Boston, as did my sister, to the point that my parents considered relocating us even closer to the city, though we were only about an hour away. I received innovative medical treatment that was far less invasive that the standard options that were available at that time. I didn't really appreciate it then, but I certainly do now.

It could be that my early experiences have turned me into a bit of a medical snob; I am really picky about who gets to see me in a hospital johnny on a yearly basis. But having access to top notch medical care hasn't stopped me from noticing that it's really hard to find a female doctor, even around here. When I'm not being limited to certain doctors because of whatever health insurance I have, the doctors who are available to me frequently aren't taking new patients. This interesting article in the Wall Street Journal sheds some light on why.

The good news? Women make up almost half the number of current medical students here in the US. Women physicians also tend to choose practices such as internal medicine or pediatrics rather than more specialized fields. So in about 10 years, maybe I won't have such a hard time finding a female PCP. The bad news? Even when accounting for the fact that general practice pays less than specialties, women are looking at a an average $17,000 less per year than male physicians. Even women in specialty fields had lower starting salaries than men. What the hell?

I've seen a few theories about this. One is that old adage that women suck at negotiating, so even in the medical field, they are not getting the same salaries as men. Another more interesting take is that women doctors emphasize patient care over herding as many people as possible through their offices each day, despite the fact that insurance companies recommend that approach. Seeing less patients means less money. A third is that women who have or are planning to have children are more concerned with the hours they do and don't work than what their salary will be, so they trade flexibility for a lower salary. It's probably some combination of all 3. I hope that having more women in the field will start causing this to even out. Imagine if women start turning away from the field due to these salary disparities? I know it wouldn't really happen, but it shouldn't even be an issue.

New Year, New Job

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 01:28:00 +0000

The end of last year and beginning of this year has been full of changes for me, mostly due to my changing jobs. I do not take to change easily. I am also not that familiar with leaving a (professional) job of my own free will; this is only the second time I've actually done it. I do not enjoy having to negotiate things like salaries and benefits. See what I mean about not loving the whole change thing?

Image by Pinti 1

If that wasn't enough to keep me planted in my desk chair for another 5 years, there was also my feeling of guilt at getting into the job hunting game. The national unemployment rate was 9.4% last month. That was the lowest percentage of unemployment for the whole of 2010, but it's still not that great. Should I be applying for new job openings when I didn't necessarily have to? I was not being forced to leave my job. I liked my coworkers. It was not a dire situation in any way. Still, I had something gnawing at me. It took me some time to realize that thing was my need to spend my days doing something else. It was a hard decision to make. And the change that I made was a big one.

I've gone from medium-large to small company size, well-established to start-up, country to city. I now take public transportation instead of driving every day. After 5 years in the same place, I was in a rut. It was fairly comfortable, but a rut nonetheless. I didn't really set out to make such a drastic change, but my excitement at the opportunity to do so told me I needed to go with it. So, I am adjusting to my new.... everything.

I will take a deep breath and just say it - change is good. I can't help but look back at some of the job changes I had to make that were not by choice, where I was just the unfortunate casualty of company lay offs or bankruptcy. Whether I saw it coming or not, there was always a sense of panic about what I was going to do next. But in almost every case, I ended up moving on to something that was somehow better than what I had left behind.

With the start of a new year, most people have vowed to make some kind of change. I hope you embrace it, even when it is not easy or obvious. I will!

Need a Job? Get Ugly!

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Miss USA 2009, Kristen Dalton.

The national unemployment rate is still hovering around 9 percent as of November. Women are faring better during this economic downturn than men, with an unemployment rate which is almost 2 percent less than what men are experiencing. We already know that more women have been earning college degrees than men, so that seems to be paying off. Fields like health care, which tend to be dominated by women, are recovering faster than other sectors of the economy like construction. It all makes sense so far. Until this article, about how you won't get hired if you're pretty. That's only for the ladies though. For guys, being pretty works to your advantage. Ugh!

I don't like this one bit. I've always struggled with the pretty vs. smart thing. I grew up thinking you couldn't be both; being a late bloomer, I chose smart. And I stuck with it through braces and bad haircuts, finding solace in books and choir practice. I held out hope for the time when, as my Mom said, I would "fill out" and maybe not be taller than all the boys in my class. Only as an adult did I realize that pretty and smart aren't mutually exclusive (thank you, Dana Scully). And it was only recently that I became ok with being both. Well, that's not entirely true. I did start wearing more makeup to work. I also wear skirts and dresses at the office without feeling like I'm pretending to be something I'm not. I no longer expect people will yell "chicken legs" when I wear anything other than pants. But to be honest, I don't completely own it yet.

I suppose I could find solace in the fact that I'm more employable than a beauty queen. But being perceived as more qualified because I'm plain-looking when compared to someone else is a hollow victory. Perhaps when I "fill out," I can learn to appreciate it, but I doubt it.

Thankful For Time off and Other Things

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 14:33:00 +0000

Everyone has those days when they hate their jobs. But as I enjoy some time off from mine to celebrate Thanksgiving, I can't help but be in awe of Anuradha Koirala, CNN's Hero of the Year. Starting in 1993, Koirala's organization has saved over 12,000 girls from human trafficking. That must be a hard job to walk away from at the end of the day. Or does your day ever really end when you are crusading for basic human rights for children in places like Nepal and India?

I admire tireless individuals like the 10 people honored at the event highlighting CNN's 10 Heroes of 2010. I'm sure they have their days when they want to throw in the towel and go home, just like everyone else. But I'm thankful they keep at it. Congratulations to all the nominees!

Image from Johnny Goldstein.

Geek in Heels, part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:25:00 +0000

My third guest post is up over at Geek in Heels! Please check out this new post which is exclusive to that blog: Your Job is Ruining Dinner. I read this article recently about how women don't make home cooked meals any more because they work. It doesn't sound that offensive, but when it went on to mention childhood obesity and the rise of fast food chains, well....

Geek in Heels, part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 01:32:00 +0000

My second guest post is up over at Geek in Heels! Please take a look at my re-working of a recent post about the diminishing wage gap between men and women. The other guest posts have also been great, so take a look around the site for other interesting posts.

Geek in Heels, part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 21:48:00 +0000

Please head over to the Geek in Heels blog to read my guest post! Jenny at Geek in Heels loved my recent post in response to one of the many articles on TechCruch about women in tech (or lack thereof), so I expanded on it over at her blog. Enjoy!

Blog Action Day 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 00:40:00 +0000

Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Or wash with. This year's Blog Action Day topic is clean water. This is a tough one for me. I take the longest, hottest showers known to man. I do some of my best thinking in the shower. It helps me relax. I turn off the running water while brushing my teeth. I run the dishwasher instead of hand washing dishes most of the time (ok, that's partly a lazy thing and partly a conservation thing). I recycle. I bring reusable shopping bags to the store. But giving up my extra long, skin-searing showers? Let's see if I can convince myself to make a change.

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Here in the US we are lucky to have a piped in supply of clean water to most homes. Some places have hard water, some don't. Other places have well water. I've always noticed that the water in Florida smells kind of sulfur-y. But it's still clean, drinkable water. Contrast that with many other places in the world, where more people have access to a cell phone than a working, sanitary toilet. What if that was your only option every single day? I think we've all used Port-A-Potties, so you can let your imagination fill in the details on how that would be.

This year, the UN declared access to clean water a human right, so expect to see more initiatives trying to make this happen. Jay-Z has been working to draw attention to the need for clean water supplies in Africa since 2006. It's something even we in the US would be wise to pay attention to; climate change and a growing global population could bring water shortages everywhere by the time 2080 rolls around. Sure, at that point I won't be around taking my 20 minute showers anymore. Still, I'd like to think that there will still be clean water for drinking and bathing after I'm gone.

But it's not all bad news. This need for clean water all over the planet has led to some innovative technologies to hit the market and created all kinds of new jobs. This blog post details the 2010 Singapore International Water Week conference, where $2.8 billion in water infrastructure deals were signed. So, if you're looking for a career with growth, I'd say water technology is a safe bet, especially if I can't break my shower habit.

Sticks and Stones Don't Break Your Bones, it's the Other Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 14:00:00 +0000

We're getting close to mid-term elections. With lots of female candidate running for office around the country, it's a bit disturbing that a recent poll reveals the old adage that names will never hurt you is, in fact, incorrect. When terms like "ice queen" or "mean girl" are applied to female candidates, it can negatively influence voter perception. Even when the perception of the candidate was positive before hearing those remarks, the people taking part in the poll revealed that afterwards, they felt less positive toward the same candidate. The same results were not shown when more gender neutral, but still unfavorable terms were applied to the same candidates. Yikes.

These stereotypical insults tended to make voters see the candidates as "less empathetic, trustworthy and effective." It doesn't appear that California Attorney General Jerry Brown was trying to cash in on this information recently when calling rival candidate for Governor Meg Whitman a whore. The slur was left unintentionally on a voice mail message after Brown thought he had hung up the phone. But the LA Times released the tape to the public. To what end? Will this subconsciously cause voters to think that about Whitman? He used the term not to mean she's a member of the world's oldest profession; instead implying that she had sold out to special interest groups, but still. Even after an apology has been issued (by Brown's spokesperson, not by him directly) is the damage done?

Based on the same poll, women who address these insults are able to regain a bit of their standing. Whitman's campaign demanded an apology and got one (sort of). Ignoring the insults seems to project the image that they may be valid. So, forget that whole sticks and stones saying. For women in politics, names can really hurt you.

Image of the Ice Queen from the film Chronicles of Narnia.

Single Ladies (Don't Put a Ring on It)

noreply@blogger.com (Susan) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0000

In the ever-growing body of evidence for the diminishing wage gap between men and women, research has uncovered a segment of women making more than their male counterparts. Ta-da! ”In 2008, single, childless women between ages 22 and 30 were earning more than their male counterparts in most U.S. cities, with incomes that were 8% greater on average, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data,” says the Wall Street Journal.

Between the reports of more men losing their jobs than women in the current recession, and the fact that women are attending college in greater numbers than men, you have a perfect storm of qualified, hard working (and apparently single and childless) ladies bringing home the bacon. I would like to see a survey on whether shoe sales in the cities most affected by this trend (I'm looking at you, Atlanta) have skyrocketed. I'm not trying to stereotype, but I'm guessing that all these single, highly paid gals also have fabulous wardrobes. Wouldn't you?

The article isn't all roses and sunshine however. The very last sentence manages to sneak in a zinger; women's wages tend to stagnate or even lessen after they have children. Ouch. But the data doesn't say if this is because they work less hours than in their child-free days, which is hopefully is the reason for the backsliding. I am not going to believe that in this day and age, women make less simply because they have kids at home, because that's pretty illegal.

"I expect the trend to continue," says the tastily named Andrew Beveridge. If that's the case, there eventually must be a trickle up for women later in their careers (aka the ones with kids in most cases). Amen to that.

Image from Search Engine People Blog.