I grew up on a farm where shoveling shit and building things was a necessity. Most employers know this about me being an engineer with no degree we have to constantly explain how we got here and why we deserve a seat at the table. Why is it when I have these conversations they always try and relate. One guy said he grew up on a corn farm and shucked corn for money to pay for food. A few quick googles on this guy uncovered that he went to Harvard and so did his dad and his dads dad. Not only that but the guy was 40 years old. No 40 year old hand shucked corn as a kid. My mom is 80 and was on the tail end of the cotton industry as a kid working as a falconer. Do they really think I’m that dumb? It didn’t take long after this conversation for me to stop giving a shit what this guy said. He lost all my trust. I feel his disingenuousness guilty lie was worse than just shutting up about my upbringing. Why do they do this?