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I just...
Literally the moment I introduce myself--"hi I'm Kate and I use they pronouns!"--I have, by some folk's reckoning, already begun a "social/political" discussion at work.
OTOH, I can't *not* introduce myself.
So when a company is all "don't bring politics to work"--
Literally the moment I introduce myself--"hi I'm Kate and I use they pronouns!"--I have, by some folk's reckoning, already begun a "social/political" discussion at work.
OTOH, I can't *not* introduce myself.
So when a company is all "don't bring politics to work"--
--my stress level in that environment goes to 11, because all it takes is one person blustering "pReFeRrEd PrOnOuNs ArEn'T rEaL" to cast my simple business interaction ("here's how to refer to me! like my name 'n stuff!") as political fodder, and me therefore as insubordinate.
I can say literally nothing else on the topic other than "hi I'm Kate and I use they pronouns!" and I'm already in the punitive danger zone.
It's very, very clear when leaders have perhaps never meaningfully interacted with a nonbinary or trans person.
It's very, very clear when leaders have perhaps never meaningfully interacted with a nonbinary or trans person.
On this note--
We need more genderqueer folks in higher levels of management at tech companies generally. I've never met or heard of a nb manager of managers. I've known a couple fellow frontline nb/trans managers.
Seriously, I've lost patience with this lack of representation.
We need more genderqueer folks in higher levels of management at tech companies generally. I've never met or heard of a nb manager of managers. I've known a couple fellow frontline nb/trans managers.
Seriously, I've lost patience with this lack of representation.
I'm tired of gender diversity being measured in cis women exclusively. I've known several women engineering directors and VPs of Eng in my day.
But I've met ZERO nonbinary people above my management level in tech. And I've been in the business for 12 years. That's fucked up.
But I've met ZERO nonbinary people above my management level in tech. And I've been in the business for 12 years. That's fucked up.
Tech Companies Hire A Nonbinary VP Eng Challenge 2021
Yours truly would gladly entertain potential VP Eng roles at companies in the 50-100 person range, with less than a 2x/yr headcount growth rate.
I'm really quite on about my consulting service idea but my mind could be potentially changed for the right opportunity/timing.
I'm really quite on about my consulting service idea but my mind could be potentially changed for the right opportunity/timing.
I have a track record of delivering projects on time, turning around broken ones, frequently have mentored (and briefly managed) other managers, have played instrumental roles in building early Eng orgs and supporting them through scale.
I've built not one but two engineering ladders from scratch (both times leading groups of my peers to accomplish such) and I even set the quarterly infrastructure budget for a public company one time, and nothing fell over. That was fun.
But also--
But also--
--having someone like me in executive-level discussions would prevent your company from doing an absolute, public faceplant on D&I issues, and from further hurting your already marginalized employees.
It doesn't have to be me. But plz, somebody somewhere hire a nonbinary VP Eng.
It doesn't have to be me. But plz, somebody somewhere hire a nonbinary VP Eng.
