Hey Jennifer — thanks for writing this article. And 👏👏👏 for getting the heck out of that situation with the overly friendly hiring manager. Good for you! Anyone thinking inequality or male chauvinism doesn’t exist anymore should really try working in tech. No, it’s not okay that while you’re checking out this potential candidate on Facebook you’re commenting on her breast-size or saying we should hire her just because she’s hot, never mind if she’s good. I experienced that in real life at a company I worked for and honestly I just sat there like a mute idiot even though they were sitting right next to me — all men. We need to remember speak up about this also in the situation it happens even if we’re not directly the ones getting hung out.

Secondly, I believe there is far too much focus on landing that perfect dream-job so you can get your “big break” so kudos to you for saying it’s okay just to have a job to pay your bills while you figure stuff out. That’s fine! Actually, I find that often the really important breaks happen when we are challenged, in really tough situations and also when we’re just plain old bored! And some times those “big breaks” are smaller series of small breaks that eventually lead you to something great. You’re not gonna be 100% following your dream or creating amazing ground-breaking work all the time. And that’s fine perfectly fine — it’s just life. Sometimes it also just has to be lived.

Again, thanks for sharing.
Signe