You don’t have to stick it out indefinitely in an environment where explosive rage is the norm. While you’re there you might as well treat it like bootcamp, where you can learn to inoculate yourself against taking things too personally, but you might also consider following in your former coworkers’ footsteps and developing an exit strategy of your own.

Dear Businesslady, I started a job about a year ago at a small, woman-centered non-profit organization. My boss, the executive director ("ED"), is a few years older than me. We're alike in many ways and get along fine, but there seems to be a class/income divide coloring our interactions, and I need help in navigating it. I grew up in a solidly middle-class home where I didn't lack for much but money wasn't something ever…

Good boss stories are less fun, but I thought it might be nice to talk about the people who've mentored you or opened doors for you or just said: "oh, Nicole, don't do that stupid thing anymore." Who are the men and women who've made the working world bearable for you? And, if you yourself are a boss, which is something that women can do now, if they are seamstresses or nursery school teachers, is…