Never learn to type.

I sat in a meeting with our VP of Operations the other day discussing what it is like to be a young women in working in a male dominated workplace in a position lacking authority. We discussed with her certain tasks that had been asked of us and that we had taken on that had absolutely no reason being our responsibility. I, along with my two counterparts on other teams, had found that if we did a PM or an engineer a favor once, it often quickly lead to us taking on that task regularly and for a larger group of people. 

Our VP's response was "As mom said back in the day, never learn to type." This is easily one of the wisest sentiments I have ever heard. 

It is incredibly important, as a woman, to ask yourself...

• why am I being asked to do this task?
• does this task fit with my job title and job description?
• would they ask a male counterpart to do the same thing?
• does this task diminish my credibility?
• do I feel respected by being asked to do this?

If people are asking you to do things outside your job description that make you feel disrespected and diminish your credibility in the work place, stop doing them. Be professional but do not be a pushover. Establish boundaries and demand a level of respect from your peers. People will only treat you as well as you ask them to. 

Be concerned about your professional future and be in-tune with your instincts.