I met so many women who were in the minority in their companies as technical professionals, as managers, and especially as senior-level leaders in tech organizations. So I learned to deal with that and learned how not to be marginalized as one woman among lots of men.

It is perfectly reasonable to propose to your boss that you take off every other Friday for six months when you've got tons of vacation time squirreled away.

Ask a lot of questions. Things can change dramatically in no time, and you don't want to be labeled as a presumptuous blowhard who has no finger on the actual pulse of the company.

Asking for opinions doesn't mean that you're giving up the right to make the final call; it just helps you make a better decision.

You're looking for the tone of the people, how they're dressed, how they interact with one another. The lobby is a wonderful fishbowl into the culture.

Are they all 50-year-old white men? Did they all come from the same set of companies?

There will come a point in time when you've so thoroughly communicated your vacation plans that your boss can't really interfere without feeling terrible (or at least refunding those nonrefundable fares).

You cannot turn yourself from an Assistant Manager to a Manager with a wave of your wand.

We can't say to young people in this city that we support them and want to ensure their successful transition to adulthood and, on the other hand, undermine their ability to go to school and obtain employment by opening up confidential records.