Reaffirming Values in the Face of Stereotype Threat

It's hard for me to imagine at this point that I will run into anyone who expects me to be bad at this. what seem more likely to me, based on my personal experience, is that people will misinterpret my easily admitted doubts.

I tihnk it's important to consider that you might be wrong, because how else will you learn? I find that, particularly in technical fields, I am misunderstood when I express my own openness to being wrong. They think I am not confident in my knowledge, or answers, which is not usually the case. That's one thing I'll need to work on communicating better.

But inevitably, I will face situations wherin some people will be surprised that I'm working in such a technical, logically centered field. I will run into situations, likely in interviews, which are framed as a measure of intelligence or innate talent, and it is also likely that in those sitatuation, r in others, I will get spooked, and spend too much mental energy trying to prove myself in ways that are unnessecary, or trying to get past some intrinsic bias I have perceived in peers or authority figures in many work-realted situations to come.

If I ever feel discouraged, or as if I have to try harder to get people to see my skills or talents, I think I can remember some of my values, and muster some more determination.

Life's not fair. Everyone has their own challenges.

I need to bear in mind how ultimately motivated I am by challenge, and I need to remember the deep respect I aim to have for each individual human being. Few people actually have maliscious intent. when bad tihngs happen, most of the tie people are looking out for themselves, and that's a perfectly natural thing.

I have learned that bragging isn't a bad thing, and that it's possible to do it politely. Many people who might look at me as a woman in computing through a biased perspective won't realize that's what's happening. These biases tend to be unconscious. I am a friendly enough person that I think it will be no small, but no unsurmountable challenge to approach these situations with determination, and clear comunication that assumes positive intent. I cannot be afraid of speaking up for myself, of drawing attention to the good things I do.

What a grand adventure I am entering into!

Sometimes when things seem hard, I like to imagine that my life is a videogame. I can screw up as many times as I need to in order to find the way into the next level, and moving forward, I'll know how to collect the most points. Every challenge is a game.