I was at a meeting with a campus network administrator and other technical staff once to discuss whether e-vite is allowed to be used by student affairs staff as an event planning tool. The person leading the meeting introduced others in the room by their official titles and responsibilities  and when that person introduced me, he referred to me in a dismissive tone including a smirk as someone who was ” just at the meeting invited to represent the users”. The introduction set the negative tone as to how my input was received , dismissed as words coming from someone technically incompetent. I personally felt devalued and had to prove my competence throughout the meeting.

I’ve also been to meetings where our Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs introduces me as a “tech wizard/magician/expert” and seemingly, the room took my words as authority. It also provided me some boost of confidence knowing such a person of significance held me with high regards.

I don’t think I’m neither technically incompetent nor a technical expert. The point is perception matters and words can either be used to bless or curse others.