I work with a bunch of children, but I’m not a day care school teacher.
- I work with a bunch of boys that act like they are teenagers, but they are grown men.
These guys can’t handle the fact that I can work circles around any of them. They are threatened by me simply because I am a woman. One guy even said that a woman has no business working in the HVAC industry. I told that guy that if he really believed that he wouldn’t be so threatened by my presence. He didn’t have a quick rebuttal and after the conversation without saying another word. I knew it was going to be difficult to work in the HVAC industry. I spent two years in Technical School and even my teachers thought it was silly. They never came right out and said those words, but all of the male teachers suggested trying a different career path. When I accepted a job with this particular HVAC company,The district manager told me that I would be the first female employee in the branch. We talked about that for a while, because the guy was concerned. I told the manager that I grew up with seven brothers and I wasn’t worried about anything. That was two months ago and most of my coworkers treat me the same as anyone else. A few of the guys are still bothered by the fact that I am a woman, but I don’t let it get me down. I can’t change their sexist attitude, but I can work hard to be the best male or female HVAC contractor working for the company.