I Hoped That a Nonprofit Would Be Better

There was a great deal of hierarchy at (name of nonprofit corporation deleted). I expected a nonprofit to have a more progressive atmosphere, but this was not the case. There was a lot of emphasis placed on rank and one’s place in the organizational structure. A distinction was made between “professional” staff and “support” staff. If you were “support” staff, as I was during all but the last six months of my five years there, then you were pretty much a non-entity, and expected to cater to whatever the higher-ups wanted- errands, coffee, etc. I felt ashamed that I had spent all those years going to college part-time while working full time and raising my son, and then ended up unable to work at a respectable salaried position. I had to constantly tell myself I had worth as a person, because my environment was certainly not telling me this.