As a woman, I wanted to do something different with my life.
There were so many avenues yet to discover, where women weren’t expected to be. My dad didn’t think women belonged anywhere in a man’s world. He was outraged when they allowed women to be active in the armed forces. When he found out there were women working in professional sports, he got really upset. He told mom a woman doesn’t belong out on the field telling him what’s happening in the game. They should be sitting in the living room watching the game, and getting snacks when they’re needed. He owned an HVAC company, and the only reason he hired a female was because he was afraid of the repercussions if he refused to hire her. He didn’t think a woman should be an HVAC technician. I can’t tell you how angry he was when I told him I signed up to be an HVAC technician. He told me that under no circumstance would he hire me. I hadn’t considered it. I already knew what I wanted to do. I was going to work for his competitor, and if all went well, I was going to open an HVAC company that was all female. I know I will likely be disowned, but I didn’t care. If a woman can do a job, she should be hired. There are times when a woman can do jobs better than men. If we can’t do it better, we can be just as efficient. Being an HVAC technician will be a rewarding job, but I think owning an all female HVAC company will be just the type of business I would like to have.