Michael Espenschied - Chicago,Illinois
February 19, 2015
Since joining LinkedIn, I have felt nothing but welcomed by my peers. I have been with the company for just 3 months. Switching jobs is always tricky, and even though I feel very confident with being a gay man today, it was not always the case.
I came out my senior year in college and was hoping to get into Finance. I was constantly worried that being gay would prevent me from excelling in that field. I ended up not getting a finance role and started at a marketing firm in St. Louis. I eventually felt comfortable coming out, but never really felt confident with it. I did well at the company, but outgrew the company.
After the marketing gig but before joining LinkedIn, I was in a sales role at a small recruiting firm where it was very okay to be gay, and I did not want to lose that in my next job. Even though LinkedIn seemed like a forward thinking organization, there was a thought in my mind that maybe I would have a problem or that it would not be okay. Boy was I wrong.
My experience at LinkedIn has been short but wonderful. To be honest, I am almost forgetting what it was like to feel ashamed of who I am so many years ago. I would imagine I will not be at LinkedIn forever. However, I am hopeful I will no longer carry the fear of being treated unfairly.
Since joining LinkedIn, I have felt nothing but welcomed by my peers. I have been with the company for just 3 months. Switching jobs is always tricky, and even though I feel very confident with being a gay man today, it was not always the case.
I came out my senior year in college and was hoping to get into Finance. I was constantly worried that being gay would prevent me from excelling in that field. I ended up not getting a finance role and started at a marketing firm in St. Louis. I eventually felt comfortable coming out, but never really felt confident with it. I did well at the company, but outgrew the company.
After the marketing gig but before joining LinkedIn, I was in a sales role at a small recruiting firm where it was very okay to be gay, and I did not want to lose that in my next job. Even though LinkedIn seemed like a forward thinking organization, there was a thought in my mind that maybe I would have a problem or that it would not be okay. Boy was I wrong.
My experience at LinkedIn has been short but wonderful. To be honest, I am almost forgetting what it was like to feel ashamed of who I am so many years ago. I would imagine I will not be at LinkedIn forever. However, I am hopeful I will no longer carry the fear of being treated unfairly.