Irony Makes Woman Meet Her Ex-FIL In Court To Make Him See What A Professional Expert She Became

There are people who see their achievements as so core to their own personality, that they have to gatekeep them. For example, the ex-highschool football star, or someone who graduated with honors three decades ago. It’s not to say that these things aren’t important, but thinking that your daughter-in-law can’t handle, say, engineering, just because you, a man, could, is ridiculous.

A netizen shared their rather inspiring story of how their wife decided to get a full chemical engineering degree just to prove her FIL wrong. We reached out to the person who made the post via private message and will update the article when they get back to us.

Telling someone they “don’t have what it takes” to get a certain degree is pretty nasty

Woman reading in a library, wearing a white shirt and jeans, showcasing her pursuit of an engineering degree.

Image credits: Yunus Tuğ / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Which is why one woman decided to get an engineering degree just to get back at her FIL

Text describing a woman's choice to pursue engineering over nursing, defying societal expectations.

Text about a woman balancing nursing work while considering engineering and law school for a challenge.

Woman in blue nursing scrubs, wearing a mask, standing confidently under a clear sky.

Image credits: MedicAlert UK / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Text recounting a father-in-law's conversation about engineering and law school difficulty.

Text excerpt discussing nursing and the suggestion of nursing school as an easy option.

Text describes a woman enrolling in engineering as a challenge, being the only female among 120 students in her program.

Text describing a woman's achievement, earning an engineering degree despite challenges, and leaving her husband.

Woman in graduation attire, raising cap, celebrating engineering degree achievement.

Image credits: Albert Vincent Wu / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Text describing a woman as a landfill SME testifying against her former father-in-law's designs in court.

Text discussing a family situation after divorce, mentioning a father-in-law and design flaws.

Woman engineer in lab coat operates machinery, showcasing engineering expertise.

Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Text about a man who left engineering school to work as a nurse in an elderly care home.

Text about a woman making Dean's List in engineering; irony noted by former FIL.

Text image discussing a woman's journey from nursing to engineering, highlighting gender roles and education.

Image credits: PeaceLoveSmithWesson

Some men truly believe that only they can do whatever hobby or job they’ve chosen

Image credits: Mohamed hamdi / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

There’s an unspoken rule in the world of professional men: whatever they do is the hardest, most intellectually demanding, and most important job in existence. Whether they’re in finance, engineering, or some obscure field like “logistics optimization,” they will absolutely let you know why their work is the backbone of civilization. Not only that, it’s basically impossible for any “normal” person to even understand what they are doing.

But when it comes to nursing, one of the most critical, grueling, and skill-intensive professions, some of these same guys suddenly act like it’s just advanced babysitting. Unfortunately, many men are raised to believe that their value is tied to technical or financial prowess. Engineering makes things. Finance moves money. Programming creates software. These are “big, important” contributions to society, so surely, a job that involves helping people rather than building things must be easier, right? (Spoiler: No.)

Nursing demands critical thinking, multitasking, medical knowledge, and a pretty decent amount of emotional intelligence. But because it involves caregiving, it gets lumped into the “soft skills” category, something that, in certain male-dominated industries, is code for “not real work.” It is also still quite technical, and involves dealing with bodily fluids, blood and, at times, people who don’t make it.

Stereotypes about jobs and gender still persist

Historically, nursing has been female-dominated, and unfortunately, some people still equate “feminine” jobs with being less prestigious or difficult. Never mind that nurses literally keep people alive on a daily basis, the stereotype persists. Setting that aside, it’s just as important to mention that not only did this man decide that nursing was, on the whole, “easier” than engineering, he also seemed to believe that there was no way a woman could do it.

This is probably one of the most classic examples of gender bias, which in this day and age should have long been disproven. Yes, there are fields where the vast majority of workers and graduates are men, but that is not to say that there is some inherent “feminine” quality that prevents women from excelling in them.

After all, this woman graduated with honors, which seemed to break this man’s brain. This is a bit concerning, given the fact that as an engineer, he might be responsible for things that keep people alive. The fact that he can even entertain such baseless concepts suggests that perhaps it’s not all calculus and rational thoughts up there.

The person who posted the story also chatted in the comments

Comments discussing a woman's achievements in engineering and nursing, praising her as a subject matter expert.

Text discussing women in engineering, highlighting gender disparities in the USA and Latin America.

Reddit discussion about marriage, referencing baby boomers' influence.

Comment discussing engineering challenges for women, emphasizing perseverance in male-dominated fields.

Text exchange celebrating a woman's engineering degree success, inspiring others in STEM careers.

Reddit conversation discussing a woman with an engineering degree, highlighting her role as a National Director of Compliance.

Comments discussing a degree, with a user clarifying a timeline related to nursing and engineering degrees.

Comments discussing a nursing degree and respect within a family context, highlighting challenges and professional achievement.

Reddit comment discussing gender and engineering, highlighting female success and challenging stereotypes.

Reddit thread discussing gender disparity in engineering programs in 1992.

Reddit conversation about gender perceptions in engineering and nursing, highlighting nursing as "easy".

Text exchange about engineering specialization and the importance of women in leadership roles.

Reddit discussion about gender diversity in engineering programs and changes since the 90s.

Online discussion on nursing between two users, one supportive of the nursing profession.

Readers thought the FIL was ridiculous

Reddit comment questioning the ease of nursing school, highlighting skepticism toward its perceived simplicity.

Text screenshot discussing Ginger Rogers, women earning higher degrees, and master's graduation excitement.

Reddit comment about a woman excelling in engineering to spite her father-in-law who called nursing easy.

Comment about anger management and praise for a wife, reflecting family tension over nursing and engineering.

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