Posted on by Cam

Celebrating Women’s Rights

Often times guys forget that you are in the room or that you have an opinion. We do not live in the stone-age anymore. Women are being more independent in the workplace. Woman can do anything that they want to and determined to do. Women have fought for this moment for us to be able to have a voice.

Women in other countries who do not have a voice are starting to take that stand. We deserve to be respected on this earth. Women of Color and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage

All of us are beautiful and unique and all our own ways. We are thriving to better our lives and pushing to the top of the career ladder. We are wives, mothers, sisters, friends, and leaders. If you are a women making things happen you are a boss. Uplift your women friends and do not discourage them from reaching their goals and dreams. We all have many ups and down, twist and turns but have to remind ourselves and be positive about it.

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Brand New Me

Letting go of the past is necessary in order to move forward in life. I am not perfect and yes I have made choices that I should have put more thoughts into it. Yes, God gives the freedom to make the choices we want freely. If it is not the right choice trust me God will let you know until you learn that lesson. Reflecting on my past and the lessons that I have learned.

Starting my career was not easy and I was not making enough in my field when I first started out. I would go to the career fairs at campus to look for an internship and felt that they had set the requirements so high for students at an HBCU and not the same requirements for a non HBCU student. I graduated with not much experience under my belt and felt the heat when it came looking for a job.

I would cry about not getting any offers after graduation and applying. I think God wanted to teach me lesson about it. I was in a stressful married at the time and trying to graduate. Yes, my married had failed because it was choice that I wanted and it was not the choice that God had for me. I can not change the past but I had learned from this situation that God had my back. I was going through a divorce and did not have anything to my name but God made a way for me to have a job. It was not the idea job but it paid the bills. I was so heartbroken by how I was done by this person who said that they loved me and made vows to me. All of it was a mirage and all I had left in the end was my pride. I had to start over my whole life. God took me out of a situation, tore me down, and rebuilt me as a new person. Thank you God for giving me a second chance to start over new and just focus on getting to where I wanted to be in my career.

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And Her Name is Me

Mental Health is very important to me as a person because I am warrior who has overcame Depression. Depression is not often talked about where I grew up at. As I get older you still have things that can trigger your emotions. “Are you prepared to overcome these emotions of what you are feeling?”

I remember buying this album when I was in college studying. I did not love myself as a person. I was looking love in all of the wrong places because I have never experience that feeling in my life and I often saw it in movies. I was never told I was pretty or received complements or had great encouragement in my younger life.

My first official time in experiencing that feeling was by my college friends who I had that real connection with like a family. These people taught me how to “Love Myself” and letting me know that my situation was not ideal at all. I had learned in my younger years how to have confidence in myself and know I had friends who cared for my well being.

One of the biggest regrets I wish I would have should have chosen myself more when I trying to be in relationships with the opposite sex. I easily learned that it was not to be in the situation that I was in. I had met this guy my freshman year and we had a lot in common. He was an upperclassman at the time. Things changed my sophomore year in our relationship and yes he started to show who he really was, “Player”. I really did not know what to do because I was inexperience with being in a relationship and very naive with myself. I wanted the attention when I should have chosen myself. This person made me hate myself even more and change me into someone I knew I never was. Instead of seeking the wrong attention I should have chose “Myself”.

Now that I am older I have learned to wait for the right person and wait on God’s timing and not my timing. I did things that I wanted to do and not by God’s timing. I have learned to be a stronger person and learn from my mistakes. Yes we are humans and do make mistakes. I have learned to forgive myself and chose “Me”.

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Is Society Uncomfortable with Confident Women?

I recently saw this last week and was glad that these women were willing to talk about this topic.

It’s okay to be confident in the office place and speak your mind about things you are not comfortable about. We live in a world where men in the office just want us to be seen and heard. Times have changed and Women have a voice to say what they want to now.

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Scream

AWW

The workplace can be such a toxic place when it comes to dealing with mental abuse. Here are a few heart breaking things that people had said to me at the workplace. Trust me it has made me a stronger person. Let’s all Scream together and get all of this off our chest.

“I have had a manager tell me before that I did not deserve a raise or promotion.”

“A guy has told me before at an interview that “I would not be a good a fit”.

“My manager striped my pride by demoting me”.

“Why do not women want to be in and Information technology field”.

“Can you lift 75 lbs by yourself and push this cart around”.

What is something hurtful someone has said to you at workplace?

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Posted on by Cam

Can’t Hold Us Down

No one likes having conflict at work, I know I do not. This industry can be stressful especially for a woman in Information Technology. We have to keep continuing to fight for our rights to be in this industry.

Working in a field that can be referred to as a “Good Ole Boys Club” or “It’s a Man’s World” industry. Women often face issues with trying to find our place in this industry where men dominant this field. I can relate to the growing pains of this industry from being discriminated against, put down, lied on, cheated on, abused, scorn, ganged up on, up and down.

I have been through so much in my industry that I have had several mental break downs because of the industry. It’s hard to just be the only woman on your team with whole lot of men. Not having anyone to relate to who you work with. Sometimes I would do my work and be so overwhelmed at times I would go to the restroom to go cry to relive myself from the hurt and pain I am feeling from my job. Superwoman also has her days when she has to still put that cape on and hold the world down. I still put on my big girl panties at the end of the day to make it through all of this.

Women have been fighting for equal rights for along time and still continuing to fight the good fight. Stand your ground and let your voices be heard. We have arrived and are not going anywhere. We deserve respect, equal pay opportunities, raises and promotions.

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Posted on by Cam

Stealing My Peace of Mind

Sexually harassment is never a topic people want to talk about in the workplace. Yes it happens! Sexual harassment can leave to working in an hostile environment. A lot of companies tend to over look the situation because people are used to getting sexual favors in the office from someone who is not their spouse.

I was working my first internship at a company that I was excited about working for. I was the only woman on my team as usual. Yes, I was approached by older men on a regular basis trying to shoot their shots at me. I would would get invites to go to happy hours, lunch, to go look at something, etc. Not knowing at the time that this was a form of sexually harassment. The main thing they would come over was to look at my boobs at my desk. Of course sexual harassment is not being taught about in college and of course I was young and naive.

One day I was approached by a lady who worked at the site. She wanted to talk to me woman to woman. I was like what did I do. So I went to go to her office to meetup with me. She starts to talk about my suit and how revealing some of my clothes were and the rumors she has been hearing about the intern being fine. She asked me was all of this going on in the workplace and I told her yes. One thing that she had offered to do was go take me shopping to go buy some better clothes to cover up my boobs more and she paid for the clothes. Also my desk space was removed from the directory to stop the old dirt men who used to come by and bother me.

More real life harassment stories will be coming soon… stay tuned.

https://youtu.be/5_UMoUqnqTE
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From a Different Planet

As humans we all have that need to want to be the best at what we do. Discovering your talents can a challenge when you do not have a clue what you want to do in your life.

At the young age of 15, I found out what my special talent and gift to the world was. Yes, I was in love with fixing computers, being on the computer, and curious about the World Wide Web. All of this was new to me but I loved it. I started fixing my own computer and upgrading it. Being with my computer was so therapeutic at times when you have such as rough life that you are going through. As a teenager I was dealing with so much and it could range from ( trying to accepted into, not being the prettiest , and dealing with rejection). Yes being a teenager is hard and it was stressful time in my life. When you find out you must be from a different planet and not like your peers.

As a teenager, I was so curious in learning how to help others with there technical needs such as computer, printers, etc. Which I did learn that I could make some extra money on the side beside working at the job I had as a teenager.

Learning to accept myself has been so hard and knowing that I was blessed with a good talent. Looking at myself as such a young person and know what I know now. I wish I could have told me younger self that everything you have went through as that age would make you stronger for talent you have before you.

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Posted on by Cam

Yes We Can

Shout out to all the women out there in this world who have chosen a life to work in Information Technology. This post is for you and to keep you encouraged in this journey. It is a man’s world in this field and we often get discourage because it’s not many of us around due to the fact that you have to deal with following: sexual harassment, discrimination, male egos, mental aggression, mental abuse etc. Yes, I have been through it all just like you.

Times have changed and it’s time to accept our female counterparts in these roles. Women are still fighting now for the same rights. You can have all the knowledge, skills, and sassiness to do this role but yet feel alone when it comes to encouragement. I have been the only black woman in my department doing the same role the men are doing. Yes, I have opened up a door at one of the companies I have worked for to another women who wants to pursue this field.

Here is a playlist that I have created that celebrates women. Trust me, I do listen to this playlist when I am in need of encouragement.

  • “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan
  • “Q.U.E.E.N.” by Jonelle Monae and Erykah Badu
  • “Independent Women” by Destiny’s Child
  • “Respect” by Aretha Franklin
  • “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys
  • “Just a Girl” by No Doubt
  • “Man! I Feel Like A Woman” by Shania Twain
  • “Fighter” by Christina Aguilera
  • “Run the World (Girls)” by Beyonce
  • “Rise Up” by Andra Day