Peer to Peer Magazine

P E E R T O P E E R : I L T A ' S Q U A R T E R L Y M A G A Z I N E | S P R I N G 2 0 1 9 61 The Long and Winding Road For some of us, it has been a long and circuitous road of jobs, education, certifications, convincing everyone around us, and actually doing the job for a long time to "prove ourselves" before we ever got that seat at the adult table. My dad had always encouraged me in thinking I could do anything I set my mind to since my interests ran toward building things or rather taking things apart and trying to put them back together. To set the tone, it was unusual for a "girl to be interested in those things. However, my interest in the sciences was really piqued when I got into high school and my science teacher was a woman and she looked just like me. Of course, it took a stubborn will and sometimes courage in the face of all the challenges back then to get where we wanted to go in technolo. I took typing (what they call keyboarding now) as a backup just in case since I do like to live indoors and eat. I've had jobs as a bank teller, secretary, store manager, word processor, word processing manager, trainer, and more. Why? They all worked with a form of computer back then. I attended classes, got certifications, and soaked in any information I could. Anytime anyone said, "You don't need to attend this meeting since we will be dealing with technical issues." My response was always, "I really do need to understand all of the ins and outs of the workings of the technolo so I can 'teach, work, help, support, etc.' the rest of the 'group, users, firm, etc.' so if you don't mind, I'll just sit at the back and take notes." What that did for me was not only did I learn a LOT, but it eventually got me a seat at the adult table as they began to realize I meant more to the team than first realized. "Back in the day" – don't you love hearing that? – I got so tired of hearing, "don't worry your pretty little head about that, I could have just thrown up. Okay, I know that is not a good visual but I know you know what I mean. I wasn't expected to excel in the classes and sometimes had to fight to get in them or pass the exams for the certifications on the first try but I did. And, then came the "heat" from doing well. I want to encourage you to not let the haters get you down! Sometimes they will not be nice and can be cruel. There will be challenges in many forms along the way. If you love technolo, go for it! There will be jobs that are not exactly what you wanted but they are worth the experience you gain from them. Take the job anyway. Trust me. One of the lessons I learned from my Dad was I had two ears and one mouth for a reason! Listen! Don't just hear what others in higher positions are saying. Listen carefully and learn from what they say. Then, ask good questions. Learn how they got where they are at the adult table. You can learn valuable lessons, good and bad, from every job you have and every person you meet. Be open to all of them. If you are not a note taker, become one. Writing things down helps you retain them. (Note: My other scientific interest is the science of the brain and how people learn. Maybe a TMI here but just as a help note here – write things down in a little notebook and review periodically – it may seem archaic but it will help you in the long run.) In our society today, we still face some drawbacks getting our seat at the adult table but those before us have provided some stepping stones that help us along this long and winding road. We should appreciate their broad shoulders on which we stand and not take for granted those who came before us to pave some of that way. It is no longer as hard for us to get into a good tech school or get a starting job in tech because of our diversities but we do still have to do some convincing once we get into those tech jobs to get to the head of the adult table. Maybe you do have to take notes at the back of the meeting for a little while before you start interjecting into the conversation. Make your plan and start working it into the conversation. After a couple of "Have you ever thought of using this as a solution to that" starters, all of a sudden I was not at the back of the room but at the table as a part of the discussion on how that technical rollout was going to go or how that software needed to be customized for our firm or whatever was on the table at the time with a bunch of IT Managers at the table. When the next IT Manager position came open and I applied and had already been at the table, it gave me a leg up, as they say, and I got the position. I had convinced them already I had the knowledge and the skills to do the job. Another challenge met. I want you to stand strong in your commitment to this great and fascinating field of technolo and not grow weary in your travels along the pathway but persevere because there are others coming up behind you that will rely on your broad shoulders on which they will stand one day to reach that head of the adult table. We have come a long way down the road and we are relying on you to take us on into the stars where we have always belonged… And, come along with us on our next jaunt into… Encouragers, Teachers and Mentors, Oh My! ILTA

• Cover