After almost a decade in the workforce, Beth DeVries has completely revitalized her career after she resolved to stop introducing herself as “Dumb Beth.”
The decision came after a coworker pointed out that it was affecting the way others perceived her, something that Beth says she “hadn’t considered, but is probably true.”
“At a certain point, it became instinct,” says Beth. “I was so used to signing emails ‘Dumb Beth’ I didn’t even notice it anymore.”
Beth says she doesn’t quite know when the habit started.
“I think I wanted to make sure I wasn’t coming on too strong.” says Beth, who graduated top of her class at Harvard Law.
While she says she doesn’t regret her decision, Beth does say that it has put her years behind in her career.
“I found that I wasn’t being offered clients, and that people didn’t trust me to do a good job,” says Beth. “But after I stopped introducing myself as ‘Dumb Beth’ opportunities starting cropping up everywhere!”
Coworkers say that they knew Beth had the talent to succeed all along.
“She had several glowing recommendations from highly respected professors, so we hired her right out of law school on the spot,” says Tom Garnier, the managing partner at the firm. “Her work has always been great. We are so proud of Dumb Beth.”
Though Beth legally changed her name to “Dumb Beth” in 2013, she says she plans on changing it back as soon as she gets a chance.
“Who knows what else I’ve been doing to hold myself back?” says Beth. “Maybe I could clear more clients if I stopped saying ‘Blah, sorry, hormones!’ after each argument I make in court. But what do I know?”
