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Being a young professional at work

Posted on Jun 22, 2014
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Meet these pioneering women who share their candid opinions about how they deal with being judged as being too young to handle the job.

Click on each question to read their answer.


[wpspoiler name=”Q: Have you run into situations where people are challenged to accept a young woman as the leader?” style=”wpui-android”]Kat Cole
President, Cinnabon


Being a woman in business over the course of now basically 20 years working, there’s no question I’ve run into situations where people aren’t used to a woman being in a certain role, in particular, someone so young.

I think for me my challenges came more because of my age. I was so much younger than most people who had been in that role my whole life. I officially entered the world of “you are materially younger than anyone who’s ever done this job before, and therefore, it seems weird or odd or unjustified or unworthy—you know, fill in the blank.

Nonetheless, I’ve dealt with that feeling of discomfort. You could even call it discrimination in some cases. The simple fact is you expect in your mind to be able to do a job and just be you, and then you are confronted with the reality that other people don’t view it that way. There’s something coloring their ability to see you for what you are to just focus on the work. They’re distracted by other elements, whether to being female, or in my case, being very young.

The way I’ve always chosen to deal with it is to assume that they—assume positive intent to believe that they think the way they do for a reason. That’s not my personal axe to grind.

Now don’t get me wrong. There have been times where I have felt so wronged that I’ve ended up in tears at home.

In most cases, I’ve been able to assume positive intent. What that does is it reshapes my mind where even if they really are judging me, and even if they are really against me for some reason other than something that’s job related, because I’m not willing to admit that, I don’t react to it. Then I don’t end up affirming their beliefs by my reaction and becoming wild or crazier, emotional, or whatever all those things you think a young woman would be, but it’s because I’m choosing to be blind to what is very possibly the truth, which is that they’re judging me for things not focused on work, but my sex or my age.

[The above is an excerpt from a live interview the Producers had with Kat Cole.][/wpspoiler]


[wpspoiler name=”Q: How do you juggle your work and personal life?” style=”wpui-android”]Dionne Lily Durbin
Sr. Digital Marketing Specialist

Lily Durbin
Early on in my career I would really try to work tons. I would do all this extra work at home that wasn’t really required and necessary because I was trying so hard to prove that I was a hard worker, that I was worthy of my position, that I could get further.

When I first started my career I worked so that I could afford the life that I wanted.

I was really just trying to work all the time and sleep myself away. Then I just realized it wasn’t fun. I didn’t really get any reward out of it.

I wasn’t enjoying being at home nearly as much as I wanted to…

I now try to back off that idea of actually giving myself more of a “This is my ‘at home.’ This is my ‘at work,'” so I don’t lose sight of the fact that I’m not working to have a life.

I currently work at a company where a lot of us are young, so it helps that our personal lives are kind of intermixed with our work life.

We all hang out outside of work, so that helps. I don’t know if it’s the right balance, but we work long hours — which is pretty typical nowadays where we might work 12-hour days. It doesn’t necessarily feel like 12-hour days because we’re working with our friends.

Our company really pushes us in that direction. We have a fun workplace where we really try to mingle together. We like working with our friends.

[The above is an excerpt from a live interview the Producers had with Lily Durbin.][/wpspoiler]


Pioneers in Skirts

Pioneers in Skirts is a feature documentary that shows every woman how to #BEaPioneer in pursuit of her career. The film follows filmmaker Ashley Maria as she investigates why she, a skilled and educated 20-something, is experiencing obstacles and challenges unique to women of the past. In the film, Ashley travels the United States speaking to women and men about their experiences and interviewing other young women who are going through their own unique setbacks.

Learn more at Pioneersinskirts.com.