Did your peers & family support you to pursue a career not typical for your gender?

Question

Perhaps you decided to be a male nurse or primary school teacher?

Perhaps you studied to become a female doctor or engineer, or trained to be a marine?

If not you personally, perhaps someone you know.

Have you been supported in choosing a career path that is unusual for your gender? Have you supported someone making an unusual choice?

How has it worked out?

Answer 1

My parents always wanted me to get an education so I could be a nurse or a parochial school teacher.

I always wanted to be a wilderness guide or run an outdoor camp. I did not ever discuss what I really wanted to do with my parents, since they had their minds made up. I lied to my guidance counselor in high school and didn't admit why I was interested in working at outdoor camps-I said I was interested in the peace corps, and told a couple of teachers that as well. But I got permission to attend summer camps where I worked outdoors, and I told other girls in high school how to get the applications and approvals as well.

In college, I didn't tell anyone what I wanted to do until my sophomore year, but I had an art teacher as my advisor, and she only knew about a natural resources major at my college. This is pre-web, so I didn't research what my other choices were. I tried it, but was treated like a moron by the majority of the male teachers and students, even though I'd been a great student. I didn't do well in one of my 4 classes (I did well in the others), but it freaked me out, so I gave it up and tried a number of other things. I got a psych degree mainly because it was interesting. I knew I didn't want to do anything with it, so this time I researched what I had aptitudes for, and got an associate degree in data processing, which only has 1/3 of it made up of women. My friends at the time didn't understand what I was doing at all.

This time, I had more people in college who were women, but even though all my instructors were male, all of them were very supportive of my goals. I had at least two instructors who regularly encouraged me, and the college registrar helped me transfer many of my courses. It was a great experience. I got a job right out of college, and was mentored by two different women who were in leadership roles. When I was sexually harassed by the chronic jerk, my manager did everything she could to assist, but ultimately, in spite of management support, I had to tell the guy off before he moved on to the next victim. I did whatever I could to support the other women in the department, if they needed it, but we were a pretty assertive group, and the majority of men we worked with were great guys, and very professional.

I was a computer programmer for 10 years, but I did become a wilderness guide after taking a few outward bound courses, taking a number of water sports training courses, getting a number of certificates, and after leading lots of trips for free for different organizations. This time all my friends supported me since all my friends were outdoors folks and many worked in the field. But I was older, so it took a toll on my health. I went back into computers, but not programming, and have been a help desk agent, help desk manager, IT trainer, college computer instructor, college computer program coordinator, and online college computer program director. I've hired whoever was the best for the job, so I've hired men and women who were white, black, hispanic, as well as people who were (legal) immigrants, and gays and lesbians. I definitely don't act like I do on here when it comes to staff or students. I don't discuss my political, religious, or social views with anyone but my peers, and that took a few years before I would do that. I realize I have radically different views, even in a college environment, so I don't discuss controversial topics at work and definitely not in school.

In IT Training and in the college environment, I had both male and female mentors who were excellent. In IT Training, I definitely had to prove myself to both men and women, but in the college environment, it's been so obvious that I was extremely competent, it hasn't taken much to prove what I know to students.

Answer 2

I am a chemist and my parents have supported me every step of the way. Although, I am not really sure how "not typical" the career choice is for women. The lab I work in has photos in the hall of various teams throughout the years, (the company was founded 30+ years ago) there has been an obvious shift. In the 70's the entire lab staff was male but every year there are more and more women. My current team is close to 50/50. All in all, I am very happy with my choice and all the people I work with are great and supportive.

Answer 3

I'm self employed. So was my old man. So is my brother. My dad told me working for other people sucks, and the world was full of liars and crooks and smiley phonies that would crap all over you if they got the chance, including the people you'd worked for forty years, so I guess the answer is yes, even if doing what I done has nothing to do with gender. My mother never gave me any advice either way and has never really supported anything anybody has done. She's a full-blooded Scot, and she was even more cynical than my old man. And now I'm more cynical than either of them ever was, and I have to admit my old man was right.

Answer 4

Back when I was a sophmore in high school, a few of my friends and I decided that we wanted to play football on the high school football team. (This was back in 1986). What we really wanted was a girls' football team, but our school did not have one. (Not many did, back then.) So when we tried, instead, to join the guys' football team, we were not allowed. We took the issue first to the coach, then to the principal, then to the superintendent...with no luck and no support. However, we were determined and quite resourceful. We found out (during this process) that if a school does not offer an equivalent sport to both genders, than the sport cannot exclude participants on the basis of gender. The football coach still didn't want girls on his team, but legally he would have been forced to allow us to play, had not the superintendent agreed to a compromise. We were allowed to start our school's very first girl's football team. We distributed fliers all over the school, and when we held our first meeting in the gymnasium, over 80 girls who were interested in playing showed up for the meeting. It was a success...our tenacity made real changes...and I feel like we did something very positive for our school. I don't think anyone- not the school, not the coach, not even us realized just how many girls would be interested in participating in a sport that's been traditionally male-dominated at our school. It came as a shock to most everyone how many girls really wanted to play. Following that school year, we saw the first girls ever at our school join the wrestling team. We had two that went to state during my senior year. We also saw changes in physical education. Girls (myself included) started taking weight conditioning and weight lifting classes. Girls started taking classes like welding. I was the only girl in our school's welding program that year- but in the two years that followed, more girls took those classes. Now in these things, there weren't many girls, just a few. But we paved the way. I feel pretty good about that. It's been almost twenty years now since I graduated high school. Sometimes I feel like I'd like to pay my old high school a visit, and see for myself what changes have continued, and if they have...my guess is, I'd be seeing a lot more girls participating in things that twenty years ago, were very rare to see.

And in answer to your question, no...we didn't get a lot of support from authority figures...like I said, not the coaches nor the school, or even the school board. But we gave each other support, and we fought for what we wanted. All we wanted was a chance to do what others were doing: and we won that right. But it was not an easy or overnight process.

The career I'm pursuing now (no, has nothing to do with football..lol! ) probably has more males in it than females (I'm pursuing a career in the mental health field), but the margin is not near as wide as it used to be, therefore I do not feel my gender is really an issue.

Answer 5

I don't know that writing is "typical" for any gender, so I do feel free to answer.

My parents have always been wonderful about supporting anything I have ever been involved in, and my mom writes a bit as well, so this was a no-brainer for her. My dad is a pastor (writes sermons and such).

My friends have been so-so, and along with the rest of my extended family, have walked the tightrope between telling me to get out of it and find "something realisitic" and saying "yeah, that would be cool, but . . ."

It's hard not to listen to people that you know want the best for you.

Answer 6

My parents, being from the working class, pushed us kids into fields that were assured to have a living wage. Thus, my sister is a chemist, my brother was a computer programmer, and I am an accountant.

Sure, there are times when I lament not going into a more creative field, but I only know that my parents were looking out for my best interests given their life experience.

Answer 7

Yes, my peers and family are supporting me in my career choice. I'm a licensed accident/health and life insurance producer specializing in the senior market. My collegues are men. My husband helps me with my career goals. It's doing well so far. I was previously in a male dominated field. I sold flooring for 10 years. I get along with men so I never minded. Men are easier for me to get along with. I understand them. I have a challenge understanding most women.

Take care.

Answer 8

I was encouraged to pursue whatever career I wanted, as long as I could survive on it. I would like to become VP of an advertising firm. There are probably more men involved in that.

Answer 9

Well, supported a career I chose not to enter.

My dad wanted me to be an auto mechanic. He taught me how to do oil changes and such before I even knew how to drive. He said he wanted me to know cars so that when I got older I would know how to do things myself or be able to tell when I'm getting ripped off. In his mind, automotive places tack on extra charges for women with ridiculous services that weren't even needed, expecting that they won't know the difference.

He was right, I've gone through this battle several times with various repair shops and dealerships, but most notably was this lube shop that tried to charge me 75 dollars to fix my carburetor.

lol my car was fuel-injection.

So yeah, when he would teach me this stuff, I picked it up fairly quickly so he always thought I would be good at it as a future career. It's fun, but all day every day? no thanks, sorry dad.

Answer 10

You have told me my words are too dry. You have told me my words are too long. Long words help when you think and look for the truth. Short words help, too. But, long words are not needed to say what you feel. So, for you, I will use small and easy words. And, I will say what I feel. I will not say what I think. Gender does not matter. Only morons think about gender. It does not matter to me what people think. I work hard and I am rich and free. I can do what ever I want to. It does not matter to me if you are not rich and free. It does not matter to me if other people do not do what they want to do. Other people do not matter. Only I matter. If I want to be a soldier, I am a soldier. If I want to make a house. I make a house. Who cares what you or others think about what I do? I sure don't. (eeeeeeeew. A contraction.)