Comment Re:Domain of responsibility and "being uppity" (Score 1) 467
I majored in political science/english and it helped nothing. Since graduating I've worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, the deputy finance director on a statewide campaign, in retail, and at my current position. My degree was fun but basically useless. As for your degree, it's really about where you see yourself ten years after graduating. CS degrees are NOT programming degrees - working with computers takes a lot of independent motivation and interest in where the field is going. What are you wanting to do? As a note, hardware is something I follow pretty closely when I have the time. I can write scripts for GIS programs to automate processes, but have no idea how instagram works or what a tumblr is. The things I do for fun (and work) HEAVILY influence what I know about any given thing (which is what sucks about being mostly self-taught).
My mom worked for DEC (Digital? anyone?) when I was growing up and I was lucky enough to have a computer in the house throughout my childhood (and one that I was allowed to use/take apart/put back together). I've never taken an engineering class, BASIC is the only programming language I learned in school, and I don't "know" any languages, really - just enough to find what I need and implement it. Most of the work I do is dirty and effective.
As for sexism and bias at my job, the people I work with are nice folks and it's clear that they like me and want me to do well, but it's the South. All the stereotypes are pretty much spot on. There are things that are "Expected" - looking nice, smiling and answering the phone, ma'am and sir and not talking to people like they're stupid (when they are. who can't install Avast!?) And I'm a damn yankee, feminist (by the standards here anyway), intelligent woman, kinda goofy, etc etc, which makes it feel that much more like I need to be "a certain way" to "fit in" in the workplace. But it is what it is.
Sorry for the rambling, I'm piecing this together while trying to finish a project/handle our office (busy today) but the point is, my life has been all over the place and I'm lucky to be employed (I live in a small town where women my age are waitresses, restaurant managers, stay-at-home-moms and secretaries unless they have degrees that are, you know, useful) and doing something that involves things I enjoy, even if it means feeling like I'm expected to do magic every day because no one but me knows how to do what needs to be done.