Discrimination

[Anonymous <no_email@fake.address>]

I once worked for a company that was run by 'good old boys.'  
I was basically the token woman, and also the token young person
(I was in my early twenties and the rest of the staff was 35+)  After 
three years with the company and constant good reviews, I was told
again and again what an asset I was to the company.  Then they hired
a new person named "Jim." Jim was supposed to come to me for training,
and like the other employees he was quite a bit older than I was.
Well, needless to say he never approached me for training, and I was
busy doing my job so I didn't pursue him (it wasn't my place.  He worked in
a different area and needed to come to me)  Well, one day he started making
very rude comments about how I didn't know what I was doing, I was just
a kid, etc.  I got so fed up by about mid day that I simply left, telling
my boss that I couldn't work in that kind of atmosphere.  I also told him
that I would come back tomorrow and hopefully Jim would have cooled off by then.
Well, what happened instead is that Jim called my home and informed me that
I was fired, and it was well deserved.  I called my manager and he explained
that they couldn't take a chance of losing Jim, but if I put my managers name 
down as a reference he would give me a good one.  I was simply shocked.
I couldn't believe that nothing was done.  Needless to say I am now
a successful programmer at a well known aerospace company, and things
seem better here (predominantly women) But I will never forget that awful 
treatment, nor will I forget that I now make more than Jim will ever
hope to make.  Take that!