I'm feeling down about my job. I still like what I do and I like the people. My job has a great balance of customer service and programming/problem solving. I love that. I love going that extra little bit to make my product better than what is required. It makes me happy. It makes my clients happy. I get a good reputation that I'm good to work with. It always surprises people when they find out I'm not at the supervisory level, but still at the worker-bee level and my work is that good. But there still is a spot of depression about my job.

I've been in my current position for six and a half years. When I was hired, I was the only one on the team besides the head programmer for the project. Now there are two of us that do what I do and the rest work on the hardware & network side of the staff.

I've seen people come and go and I'm still here. I've been here longer than my current branch chief. I've out-stayed the section chief, G. He just left this week, he got a promotion to a branch chief in another part of our agency. He had been the section chief over both sides of the house, but mostly the hardware/network side. I'm not that ambitious as far as making the most money I can earn here in the government. I'm really happy doing what I'm doing so why go and mess that up by getting a job supervising people in an office I'm not familiar with? So I haven't applied for any section chief positions in many years.

I when I found out G was leaving, I thought about wanting the job but dismissed it because I didn't want to be responsible for the hardware & network, but would like to be responsible for the programming and clients. Then I got to thinking about working for Phil, who would be the other possible person to get the job. I've mentioned him before, young whiz-kid techno-genius. Zero in the customer service department. I don't want to work for Phil. So maybe I should see about getting that job, huh?

Yesterday I talked to my branch chief about the position and when it's going to be open for application. It's not. The job will be filled by someone lateraling over. Get this: someone who is not savvy on the hardware & network side. Not. His. Forte.

I'm crushed and feeling down about my job now. I'm wondering why my branch chief didn't consider me for the position if he was going to pull over someone else who wasn't strong in hardware and networking. I could understand it if this guy was, but no. I'd hate to think it's because I'm a girl. In an all-boy office.