The entire time we were growing up, my father was trying to convince my brother that he was going to be an HVAC technician when we grew up.
I knew dad wanted one of his kids to take over the HVAC company when he retired, but my brother didn’t want to be an HVAC technician.
He wanted to go to school and become a veterinarian. I walked up to dad and told him I would take over the HVAC company, but he laughed. He said he wanted his company to read, & Son, and not & Daughter. I told my father he was a sexist and walked away from him. I didn’t talk to him for several days, and he didn’t notice. My brother was still being harassed about becoming an HVAC technician, and I told him to ignore dad. After graduation, I signed up for classes at the local college. Dad assumed I was going there for cosmetology, but he was wrong. I went to school to become a certified HVAC technician. My brother kept saying dad was going to be furious when he found out, but I didn’t care. He didn’t ask me what I wanted to do, but assumed what I would do with my life. Had he said something about me becoming an HVAC technician, I would have gladly said that was what I wanted to be. Instead, I went to HVAC school, graduated with honors, and am now working for one of his biggest competitors. The only way I’ll ever work for my dad is if he makes me a working partner in the HVAC company.