Living in DC: Full Circle

My first real job out of college (back in the Cretaceous era) was with the small and disadvantaged business office at the Department of the Interior. I hated it for three years, mainly because there was no future in government work. But I learned a ton of stuff. Back then, the office served women-owned and minority businesses looking to bid on "set-aside" contracts, according to percentages and all that boring government stuff.

This past Saturday I attended the LGBT Economic Development Summit. Hosted by a slew of DC offices and organizations, this free (yes, FREE!) day of seminars was an eye-opening experience. I learned that, as a gay-owned and DC-resident operated business, I'm eligible to bid on that percentage of contracts "set aside" for minority businesses. Once I've completed a number of certifications, that is.

I'm a minority, in the DC government's view, even though I look like a white anglo-saxon male.

Yet another reason to stay in DC!