Talk about the difference between the careers of men and women...

My girlfriend was catting on the phone last night with a friend of her's from high school. They've stayed in touch for the last 30 years as they built their careers and moved all over the country.  Her friend is currently working as an executive secretary at some small company in the Bethesda area.  They live there because her husband is some sort of senior career FBI guy. From what I can tell from what my girlfriend told me, her friend is in the inactive reserves; something about making points towards retirement but not being paid in any way. I don't know all the details.

What I find funny (nd not in the ha ha way) is that she holds the rank of Commander; she was active Navy for more than 20 years (think she's currently at 27 years). I know she's not current active because she couldn't get a billet in the area she lives in now and wanted to be there for her husband who ignores her) and kids (youngest just started college).

Some how I think that if she was a man with that military rank, she wouldn't be holding a civilian job making copies and getting coffee.

In the Pentagon  Lt Cols and Majors are file clerks and copy machine operators. Charles. CWO-3 (ret).

Is she a "secretary" or a real "executive secretary"?

The executive secretaries where I work don't get coffee.

1911builder stole my Pentagon comment as well.

Quoted: Is she a "secretary" or a real "executive secretary"? The executive secretaries where I work don't get coffee. 1911builder stole my Pentagon comment as well.

Her title is 'Executive Secretary" but it's an "old boy" type organization; she gets coffee.

I'm aware of the pentagon issues,; this was a comment on the civilian side of things. Not often you find the civilian career of a career military officer to be such a dichotomy.  

Hey. my Rabbi when I was a kid was a Rear Admiral (highest ranking jewish chaplin in hstory of the US military).

Pentagon = more stars than the heavens. Field grade officers are gophers.

Who gives a shit?

Her rank has zero to do with her abilities in the real world.

When I graduated from the Naval Academy, many of my female classmates were commissioned as "General Unrestricted Line Officers".  That's Navy-speak for "we don't know what to do with you so we'll find you a menial job somewhere".  They weren't warfare qualified specialists.  I honestly have no clue where many of them went.  Probably to staff jobs in the Pentagon doing, you guessed it, secretarial work.

I bet this woman was in the same boat.

Quoted: Talk about the difference between the careers of men and women... My girlfriend was catting on the phone last night with a friend of her's from high school. They've stayed in touch for the last 30 years as they built their careers and moved all over the country.  Her friend is currently working as an executive secretary at some small company in the Bethesda area.  They live there because her husband is some sort of senior career FBI guy. From what I can tell from what my girlfriend told me, her friend is in the inactive reserves; something about making points towards retirement but not being paid in any way. I don't know all the details. What I find funny (nd not in the ha ha way) is that she holds the rank of Commander; she was active Navy for more than 20 years (think she's currently at 27 years). I know she's not current active because she couldn't get a billet in the area she lives in now and wanted to be there for her husband who ignores her) and kids (youngest just started college). Some how I think that if she was a man with that military rank, she wouldn't be holding a civilian job making copies and getting coffee.

Funny, at my job we have a bunch of people with catchy nicknames like "Top", "Gunny", "Colonel", and "Major"............................. Wanna guess where the got those? Very few ever try to get promoted above entry level. (All are male)

Sometimes what a person does in the military is only a good indication of what they do in the military.

Quoted: Quoted: Talk about the difference between the careers of men and women... My girlfriend was catting on the phone last night with a friend of her's from high school. They've stayed in touch for the last 30 years as they built their careers and moved all over the country.  Her friend is currently working as an executive secretary at some small company in the Bethesda area.  They live there because her husband is some sort of senior career FBI guy. From what I can tell from what my girlfriend told me, her friend is in the inactive reserves; something about making points towards retirement but not being paid in any way. I don't know all the details. What I find funny (nd not in the ha ha way) is that she holds the rank of Commander; she was active Navy for more than 20 years (think she's currently at 27 years). I know she's not current active because she couldn't get a billet in the area she lives in now and wanted to be there for her husband who ignores her) and kids (youngest just started college). Some how I think that if she was a man with that military rank, she wouldn't be holding a civilian job making copies and getting coffee. Funny, at my job we have a bunch of people with catchy nicknames like "Top", "Gunny", "Colonel", and "Major"............................. Wanna guess where the got those? Very few ever try to get promoted above entry level. (All are male) Sometimes what a person does in the military is only a good indication of what they do in the military.

What's your line of work?

I have a strange mental image of Ollie North saying 'PC Load Letter, what the fuck does that mean?'

Quoted: Funny, at my job we have a bunch of people with catchy nicknames like "Top", "Gunny", "Colonel", and "Major"............................. Wanna guess where the got those? Very few ever try to get promoted above entry level. (All are male) Sometimes what a person does in the military is only a good indication of what they do in the military.

After 20-30 years of being responsible for other peoples lives and millions $$ in equipment, a retirement job is just something to do  until the VFW opens.  ( no disrespect intended.)

Quoted: Quoted: Funny, at my job we have a bunch of people with catchy nicknames like "Top", "Gunny", "Colonel", and "Major"............................. Wanna guess where the got those? Very few ever try to get promoted above entry level. (All are male) Sometimes what a person does in the military is only a good indication of what they do in the military. After 20-30 years of being responsible for other peoples lives and millions $$ in equipment, a retirement job is just something to do  until the VFW opens.  ( no disrespect intended.)

Yeah, that would be true if I woorked at Wal-Mart..................... Most of the guys get hired around 40 years old, plenty of work left in them. I won't get into the R-I-F guys we got around too.

Justr because someone excels in the military doesn't mean they will excel elsewhere.

Hey, some guys get to retirement and go gung-ho, pulling 12-hour days until their hair falls out (like one of my profs).

Other guys just want to sit around fishing and playing with the grandkids.

Quoted: I have a strange mental image of Ollie North saying 'PC Load Letter, what the fuck does that mean?'

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Funny, at my job we have a bunch of people with catchy nicknames like "Top", "Gunny", "Colonel", and "Major"............................. Wanna guess where the got those? Very few ever try to get promoted above entry level. (All are male) Sometimes what a person does in the military is only a good indication of what they do in the military. After 20-30 years of being responsible for other peoples lives and millions $$ in equipment, a retirement job is just something to do  until the VFW opens.  ( no disrespect intended.) Yeah, that would be true if I woorked at Wal-Mart..................... Most of the guys get hired around 40 years old, plenty of work left in them. I won't get into the R-I-F guys we got around too. Justr because someone excels in the military doesn't mean they will excel elsewhere.

True, but it's also true that some people after working their asses off for 20+ years just want to take it easy.  A retired E8 or E9 makes a little over $27000 a year, and has some sort of medical.  Evan a crappy job paying $10 an hour adds another $20,000 to that.  For many that's enough to live on.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Talk about the difference between the careers of men and women... My girlfriend was catting on the phone last night with a friend of her's from high school. They've stayed in touch for the last 30 years as they built their careers and moved all over the country.  Her friend is currently working as an executive secretary at some small company in the Bethesda area.  They live there because her husband is some sort of senior career FBI guy. From what I can tell from what my girlfriend told me, her friend is in the inactive reserves; something about making points towards retirement but not being paid in any way. I don't know all the details. What I find funny (nd not in the ha ha way) is that she holds the rank of Commander; she was active Navy for more than 20 years (think she's currently at 27 years). I know she's not current active because she couldn't get a billet in the area she lives in now and wanted to be there for her husband who ignores her) and kids (youngest just started college). Some how I think that if she was a man with that military rank, she wouldn't be holding a civilian job making copies and getting coffee. Funny, at my job we have a bunch of people with catchy nicknames like "Top", "Gunny", "Colonel", and "Major"............................. Wanna guess where the got those? Very few ever try to get promoted above entry level. (All are male) Sometimes what a person does in the military is only a good indication of what they do in the military. What's your line of work?

JBT