The fifty gazillionth “Thanks, but no thanks – we’ve decided to pursue other candidates for our open job position” postcard I just received today causes me to pause and reflect on my career options. At which point I realize I’m actually really, really lucky.
What?! LUCKY?!? (we’re up all NIGHT to get lucky). Well — I can really only use the word “lucky” when I compare my job opportunities to those of women long ago. Oh…say…during Game of Thrones time.
There were very limited options for women back then. Let’s see, there was:
- queen
- whore
- Lady of Winterfell
- miller’s wife
- whore
- chambermaid
- kitchen wench
- whore
- crofter’s daughter
- baker’s wife
- crone
- spearwife (it’s a whole thing I can’t get into now)
Very few of those jobs have any appeal. Except for Queen (natch!). Do you think if 1) Game of Thrones was REAL and 2) set in an accessible part of the world, not in middle earth during dragon times and 3) they had invented universities by then and 4) allowed women to attend said universities and 5) invented advanced degrees and 6) then allowed women to GET advanced degrees, that my having an MBA would make me a BETTER candidate for the Queen role?
No. I didn’t think so either. But the “thanks, but no thanks” postcards would have been much more interesting: all parchment-y with awesome calligraphy sent by carrier pigeon or some such.