Once a new hire is situated at a new job, they can focus on the work after putting so much effort into landing employment. But one guy who has been an office worker found himself in a situation of still having to prove his qualifications.
After causing drama involving a disgruntled coworker, he visited the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit to seek judgment from strangers online.
There, Redditor OfficeDrama123 asked:
“AITA for bringing my degree into work to prove I graduated?”
The original poster (OP) explained:
“I’ll try not to make this too long. I (32 M[ale]) work in an office where everyone has at least a bachelor’s degree (this is relevant). Most of my coworkers have their degrees framed on the walls of their offices, and some also have pictures of them at their graduations.”
“In fact, I think I’m the only one that doesn’t. I’d rather decorate my walls with pictures of my wife and me on trips we’ve taken. I also didn’t even attend my college graduation (not much for ceremonies), so I don’t have any cap and gown pictures, which has never bothered me.”
The OP continued:
“Recently a coworker- we’ll call him John- started suggesting I didn’t actually go to college, and lied to get this job. The accusation was so ridiculous that I basically ignored it, but that just seemed to convince him more.”
“He started saying dumb stuff like ‘must be nice to have gotten this job without doing any real work,’ ‘I wish I could’ve gotten this job without student loans,’ and ‘if you’d gone to college like the rest of us, you’d understand.’ “
“I tried ignoring him, thinking he probably just wanted to start drama, but eventually I could sense our other coworkers beginning to think John might be right since I wasn’t really disputing it. I figured I’d just bring in my damn degree and put an end to it.”
“Now, here’s the thing: I did really well in school, enough that I graduated with a ‘first class honors’, which my diploma says. I’ve never mentioned this to anyone at work because it didn’t feel that important- the degree itself is what matters.”
“However, when I brought my diploma in, my coworkers really focused on the ‘first class honors’ thing. I kinda became the hotshot of the office that day, which was weird. My boss insisted I add it to my wall, saying it ‘looked good for the company.’ “
The OP mentioned how quickly the tables turned.
“My coworkers then began teasing John about the whole thing, pointing out that HIS degree doesn’t say anything about honors and saying it was a dumb accusation. Now John is pissed off and calling me an AH, saying I made him look bad with the whole ‘honors’ thing, and saying I could’ve found some other way to prove I graduated without bringing in the degree.”
“So, AITA for bringing my diploma into work to prove I graduated and making John look bad?”
Anonymous strangers weighed in by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
- NAH – No A**holes Here
Many Redditors thought the OP was not the a**hole (NTA) here.
“NTA.”
“John stuck his foot in his mouth. Leave it there.”
“BE PROUD OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS.”
“Don’t downplay your accomplishments for people that want you to seem small. HANG IT ON THE WALL.” – LouisV25
“NTA But it really seems like this guy has it out for you. Ask him politely, but firmly to let the subject drop. If this continues, consider talking to HR.” – SoMuchMoreEagle
“NTA.”
“Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians have to have their certificates and or diplomas on premises here in NZ as a legal requirement. Mine is on the wall in the work place in the back of the dispensary. Daughter is in the throes of her Certificate is Canine Hydrotherapy as well and that’s going on her wall in the business.”
“Why would you not be proud of your accomplishments? People can just be real d*cks sometimes. John is an idiot and the others in the office obviously think so too.” – Calm_Researcher5396
“NTA but it’s a shame his bullying made you feel a response was necessary. I think next time you should put him in his place without needing to bring in “proof!” And there probably will be a next time, because apparently he’s insecure and childish.”
“I think laughing at him and saying ‘it’s pretty sad that you’re so bad at your job you need to frame your diploma and put it on the wall to prove you’re educated instead of just being smart.’ ”
“Or, ‘it must be embarrassing that you don’t have anything else you’re proud of to hang on your walls, but you do whatever you need to feel good about yourself.’ ”
“That’s just what came to mind for me.” – Major_Barnacle_2212
“NTA.”
“Seems like it’s common in your office to have it. This seems less prevalent nowadays but different offices, different cultures. Sounds like John was being a bully and hates being called out. What’s dumb is it’s just a piece of paper.”
“Probably not too hard to fake one. Who knows, maybe John’s is fake.” – J05H82
“NTA.”
“So let me get this straight. John teased you, without any provocation, to an extent that he convinced a bunch of people to not trust you. And in return, he not only wanted you to prove his random accusation wrong, but he wanted YOU to be discreet and respectful of his feelings, when he could extend neither courtesy to you.”
“Duck John and every other colleague of yours who was gullible and dumb enough to get convinced by the village idiot.” – VioletLily2v
“NTA you wouldn’t have had to find ANY way to prove John wrong if he hadn’t been attacking you. The question you should ask him is: why would I want to after you spent so long attacking me? All I wanted was for you to stop bullying me. Not my fault you caused the problem.” – corgihuntress
“NTA. John was trying to make you look bad, but he ended up looking bad instead. He started it. If he can’t take it, he shouldn’t dish it.” – lostpirate6991NTA.
“Kinnndddaaa weird that they’re all SO obsessed with their college degrees. I assume you all are around the same age? It’d be one thing if you were fresh out of college… but you’re 32. And you prefer to decorate in other ways.”
“Weird that the lack of a framed diploma made them think you didn’t have one, and weird that they didn’t ask something like ‘where’d you go to college?’. Weird.” – fallingintopolkadots
“NTA.”
“Wow! I hope you really like your job because it sounds like you work in a toxic work environment and your co-worker is a narcissistic bully. Are you sure you want to work there? Nothing you do will ever not be scrutinized and criticized as long as this person is there. He’ll find something else to get the “crowd” to follow him. On that note, what is that, ‘high school?’ “
“As far as bringing in your diploma, I would take a decent picture of it, print it, frame it and take the original home. Someone else commented about taking things to work that you don’t mind losing – there is some value in that rule.”
“On another note, you don’t owe any co-worker proof that you obtained your job legitimately, or that you have a college degree to prove anything. Your hiring manager/boss and HR are all that need to know all the details. Succumbing to a bully only allows them to bully more. It’s like the story of the camel in the tent… once you let the nose in, it won’t be long before the camel has pushed all the way in and you are pushed all the way out.” – ladybug4289
Surprised by the number of reactions his post received, the OP gave an update.
“Damn, I’m new to Reddit and definitely wasn’t expecting this many responses. Thanks to the majority of you for saying I’m NTA. Now, to respond to a couple of things: Since some people asked, I work in urban planning (we’re a private company, not government).”
“It’s not required that we have our credentials/degrees displayed, and in fact I don’t even think it’s common within the industry. Just a part of my office’s culture, I guess. Like I said, I never liked it much. To those of you that said my coworkers sound very childish, you’re correct!”
“Though I will say, their walls aren’t EXCLUSIVELY decorated with their diplomas; they also have pictures of their families and other stuff, as I do.”
“Some of you said it would have been better for me to just go to HR instead of bringing in the diploma, and I admit you may be right. That would’ve been the less dramatic way to handle things. I honestly didn’t expect my coworkers to make such a big deal out of the whole ‘honors’ thing.”
“Some suggested I make a copy of my diploma since John may now try to steal/destroy it. I don’t think he’s quite dumb enough to try a stunt like that, especially since it would be pretty obvious that it was him.”
“Some also said I should watch out since it sounds like he has it out for me now. Thanks for the advice, but I don’t think I really have to worry. Most of us (including my bosses) know that he’s a bit dramatic, and I don’t think he can really do much to threaten my job.”
“After all of this, John attempted to say that his original accusation (that I didn’t graduate) was a big joke and he didn’t actually mean it, which was obviously a lie and didn’t really help his case. I can tell he’s still pissed, but thankfully he’s mostly just ignoring me now, which is how I like it.”
Redditors generally thought the conflict was petty and that they still had questions about the work environment that encouraged employees to proudly display their academic accomplishments.
They also thought John had it coming and that the debacle he found himself in was one of his own making.