Following the reading group discussions in the back of the book, I’m going to answer questions two and three, which have to do with her experience after college and her job search.
Girl’s experience are pretty typical of a recent college grad. She had a low-level low-paying job and she is forced to do awful office tasks. While I think her boss is overly harsh, the basic idea is that first jobs can be brutal. It’s hard to get respect from those above you who might not realize that you actually know something. It actually reminds me more of an internship. I had a college classmate that interned at one of the local TV stations and the reporter she worked with (who isn’t there anymore) treated her like dirt. So much so that she changed her major from journalism to nursing.
Bosses can be sneaky and slimy like that. Doris took Girl’s presentation and gave it to someone else. She picked on girl constantly. She gave her the most awful tasks. I’ve seen this happen. Most of the time, it ends the exact same way Girl’s employment with Doris did. Both sides get frustrated and there is a pretty mutual separation.
Her trip to the career services office is pretty common. She’s just so naive and doesn’t call to make sure someone is going to be there to help her. She just assumes she will get it. She seems like the entitled alumnus that the career center employee called her out to be.
The job search thing is very strange. I’m not sure what that networking event was all about. I had a hard time visualizing it. I pictured it as some what of a rave-like, black-light party/networking event without incredibly loud music or ecstasy, or maybe there is ecstasy, I don’t know. It was just weird, but obviously it put her in contact with Guy, well and Buster, who I don’t have any opinion about just yet.
When it comes to My Company, I’m not sure that really wants to work there. The concept of her job is so vague and things take so long to go through. But she has nothing else, so she figures she’ll give it a shot. Once she gets started and hears words like feminists and giving back, she’s really interested in it. However, she’s interested in her interpretation of it, which might not be quite what Guy was envisioning.
I think had she been able to find more options, she never would have ended up at My Company, and she might be happier because of it.
