Why A + B + C = Crap

A)Being female +
B)the youngest person at my job and +
C)still in school =
A bad combination when you want to be taken seriously in your career.

Case in point:

Last Friday, one of the guys from a different office than the one I work out of was having problems with his laptop. I'll leave out all the geek-talk, but basically he could still get email but he got nothing when he opened up Internet Explorer.

He didn't call to discuss this problem. He emailed me about it, and I was in the middle of dealing with over 20,000 locked files that employees needed access to. So, it wasn't my top priority. Throughout the day, I would email a suggestion and he would give it a try and report back. Nothing worked.

On Tuesday, I was down at that office to help Michelle with all the archiving. I got there before the employee with the broken computer, so I went to his office and had a look. Turns out the problem was one of the first things I told him to check, which he told me was how it was supposed to be. Anyway, I fixed it and then also happened to notice an icon on his desktop for Limewire. I checked on it, because I've removed the program before, and sure enough, it had been reinstalled. The last time it was used also happened to be the day his computer stopped working correctly.

So before I went back out to start helping Michelle, I sent a quick email to the office manager, who is my direct supervisor, about the laptop. I didn't wait for a response. I went back out front with Michelle and we started working our way through some files. Broken-Computer Employee walked in and asked if I'd fixed his computer. I said yes. He asked what was wrong, so I told him his DNS server was pointed to a specific IP address and that our network will not support that, especially since he was pointed to the IP address of the copy machine, and last time I checked, copy machines don't provide Internet access.

He seemed kind of confused and asked how that happened. I had a pretty good idea that he'd let his kid use the computer again, because that's how it happened last time (oh yeah, this is a repeat problem), but rather than accuse someone who wasn't even there, I just said, "I don't know how it got changed. But I do know that it doesn't change itself."

He kind of gave me a dirty look and then headed down the hallway, muttering under his breath. Michelle and I shot each other a glance and went back to work.

A few minutes later, he came walking down the hall and said, in a rather demanding tone, "Sarah, come into my office for a minute." I stood up, Michelle told me I didn't have to go, but I headed down anyway. I walked into his office and he got up, shut the door, and told me to have a seat. This is when I knew that this was going to get "interesting."

He began by telling me that he doesn't work for me. (No kidding) He also mentioned that I don't work for him, but he didn't say it quite as matter-of-fact as he said that he didn't work for me. He said that we worked for a company and that we were co-workers and that we needed to stick together and not take problems to other people that should just be addressed with the other person.

Side Note: The office manager is my direct supervisor, and I report back to her about computer problems since she needs to be aware of what employees are doing with their computers so she can give this information to the owners. I do this with any computer problem I fix, whether the employee is my best friend or someone I can't stand. That's just how business works. Also, over the last two years with the particular employee that this all involves, I have come to learn that he thinks he's - for lack of a better way to describe it - the shit. He always has an opinion on something or a way to improve what's going on. He has also, on at least one occasion, told me that I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to computers because he told his brother about some of the stuff I said and he said I was wrong. Nice.

Back to story: Then, he said that I was accusing him of being a liar. (Those words, or anything close to those words, never came out of my mouth) He said he didn't know how the DNS server got changed and when he said that he didn't know, that's exactly what he meant. He said that he does not let his kids touch his computer on the rare instance that he takes it home, but that if they do use it without his permission, there isn't really anything he can do about that. Then, he again pointed out that he doesn't work for me and that when I have an issue with him, I should come to him. (Which is not what I have been instructed to do by my supervisor - and the owners, for that matter.) He then added that I am new to my career and that while he hated to have to word it like this, it needed to be said. "This is something you need to work on, and I'm glad that I can be the one to point this out to you."

Because apparently, I need to work on disobeying my supervisors and do whatever he says instead.

He ended all of this by saying again that he doesn't work for me and that I do not have the authority to act like he works for me. He also mentioned that another thing I could work on if I wanted to succeed in my career was letting power go to my head. (Look who's talking, huh?!)

Then, he closed the conversation by telling me that he was sorry that he had to get angry with me about this, but that somebody needed to put me in my place. Then, he said that the door was closed so that I could apologize in private without having to worry about being embarrassed about people hearing me apologize.

So I told him I was sorry that he thought I had accused him of being a liar.

But that's all I said. He then started talking about how crappy the computers run around here and how he has done stuff with his computers at home that has made huge differences and maybe I could do those same things here to help improve the network. Oh, and at one point in the conversation he told me that he just wasn't sure what I was thinking because I was being so straight-faced. Yeah, because I guess that over the last 50 years nobody ever told him that it helps to keep emotions in check while you're at work.

Yeah. Whatever, prick.