heartbeatocean said:

Different corporate world. Most of the women in my field are single with no kids or get married in their thirties and have kids late. NAture of the business. As far as being corporate? Well I figure I'm smart enough with the money I make to not be caught on my ass when they chew me up and spit me out. I have goals and it either leads me to higher corporate-ness or my own thing. And if you own your own biz or self employed, don't think you don't play in the corporate world

Hell yeah!!!

That's why I left it all behind and started my own business. Now I work much harder, much longer, the pay sucks, no benefits and the boss is a real bitch!

I've NEVER been happier!!

KatSkrizzle said:

Very true but the game's a lot more fun to play when you get to make and/or break the rules, too!

Pochacco said:

I, too, am well familiar with that feeling.

Try to not become discouraged, Pochacco. One day you shall find your place.

Not at all they look at me as this liberal, I look at them as a bunch of corporate con artist cocksuckers of the conservative camp

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Exactly!!! You don't have to answer to some idiot in a suit who can make or break your career.

SexyBeautifulOne said:

Good for you for being able to start your own business. That's fantastic!!

KatSkrizzle said:

What field are you in?

Actually the job and work itself wasn't so bad. I got kind of into it after a while. The money was nice too.

My biggest problem was the culture it came with. It was just so hard to have a conversation with anyone and I got so tired of all the gushing over engagements and pregnancies. Granted I was young at the time, an admin assistant, and most of my peers were at the secretarial level and young.

Come to think of it, my female bosses didn't have kids and were constantly relocating.

Yesterday, I got canned by a non-profit I've been working for (and semi-exploited), so it's the nature of the beast I suppose.

heartbeatocean said:

Radio/music. Most women that I know or are friends with are all single. I am and I am 30. When you are in a male dominated feild such as entertainment, women tend to be to themselves. We don't get caught up in that whole man and wife thing. We are trying to go get it. And don't let any of that sexist, women as object thing offend you. You just drive over it like a speed bump.

I understand what you mean. When I had my stint at my sister's house I'd take my nephew to the bus stop. Talk about mind numbing house wives. Driving in their Volvo station wagons, full face make up, dressed like they walked out of Ann Taylor. Just wasn't me. I can just imagine my kids...roll outta bed after a club night the night before smelling like a chimney. My neighbors will have choice thoughts!

Nonprofit sucks. My friend works for one. She hates the pay...especially when the place couldn't afford to employ them for December, so she had a month off....with no pay.

KatSkrizzle said:

Boy I got tired of listening to co-workers plan their weddings 8 hours a day on the phone when they were supposed to be working.

I'm in the film biz, and am actually becoming more interested in the corporate end of things. Though they have their benefits soul-wise, I find academia a bit stifling and non-profit unstable and fickle. It's good while it lasts but it's so competitive. I now work for an independent filmmaker which is fantastic, but I'm thinking I could possibly thrive in the corporate arena if I got past my prejudices.

So now I'm coming full circle here with this. What was the question again?

psychodelicide said:

I forced myself to fit in...because I needed to eat

Janfriend said:

Yeah, I hear ya. With me, it seems even when I try, I still can't fit in.

I worked in a corporate environment during my last year of high school & my first few years of college, never again after that (outside of a few temp jobs). It blows - too stiff & boring. The environments I work in now are very creative & "loose" - they don't give a shit what you wear or say, just kick ass @ the job @ hand & everything is cool

CalhounSq said:

Sounds ideal!

CalhounSq said:

cool what is it you do ?

oldpurple said:

Porn-movie director?

I am reading a book now. It's a great book called Secrets of Six Figure Women. I'm seeing a pattern among some of our posters. We use excuses and let ourselves fall prey. It's a great book and I reccomend both sexes read it.

It's not about corporate but valuing your worth. Pick it up.

KatSkrizzle said:

What kind of excuses? I don't feel that I'm making excuses for not fitting into Corporate America, I'm just calling it as I see it, honestly.

Once upon a time I might have said so, but now I probably wouldn't. Have I been assimilated? Maybe. But I've stayed myself all along the way too. There are lots of benefits to corporate life, semi-stable environment, better benefits, lots of room for advancement, etc. And while I've gotten bored and tired of my work environment from time to time, I'm currently in a place I like. Yes, I'm a bit different than the workforce I'm surrounded by, but I've never been one to socialize with co-workers anyway. My friends are from elsewhere and always have been. Not to say I don't like the people I work with, cause I genuinely do. It takes all kinds in the world and these are people I'd never even meet otherwise. It's a whole other slice of life.

And not to say I don't fantasize about leaving, cause I do too. But I'm happy for the time being.
[Edited 1/28/07 8:31am]

KatSkrizzle said:

I'll check it out. I want some six figures. This non-profit/art trajectory S-U-C-K-S!!!!

Yes, please do expand on the excuses part. I'm genuinely curious. I've been reading a book called Women Who Run The Show about female producers and directors in Hollywood. In reading it, I'm confronting a lot of my prejudices against "the system", which may have been holding me back big time.

Justin1972UK said:

I'm in media, but not that kind

heartbeatocean said:

OK, when you said prejudices, that's exactly what I meant. Perhaps not excuses. I mean if you want to put a tatoo on your neck, dye your hair green and work in a shop somewhere in the "hip" part of town then go for it! Hey, some folks look like that and have their own biz and it works. But a lot of us don't think it's for us and then don't network with the folks that can make it happen. THey don't even ask to pick someone's brain. First of all it's flattering, and secondly, that's a great network.

Like say for instance, my brohter in law can be a real ass. But I'm not going to just not associate with him because he is in a totally different income bracket and can't understand my world (he really can't). But even if he and the other people don't share my life or views, I'm not going to just not associate with them because they are into the corporate thing. Besides, my B in law is soooo connected!

I think really, deep down under all of us, we don't like it because they have what we want. You don't have to be a kiss ass, but by not knowing or associating with the right people because you aren't into the corporate thing is a disservice to your/my pocketbook.