Caught up with a friend for lunch recently and I ended up arriving pretty early. Ordered a beer from a late-20s, early 30s girl (I'm early 30s, for context). We exchange a smile or two as she tends tables and I sip away at my tasty beverage. Finish beer, still no friend, go order another beer from same girl.

This time there's small talk. She asks what I do, I tell her I'm a student in electronics engineering. She says cool, and that she used to study chemical engineering. My initial thought was, wow, that's actually pretty impressive. Until she giggled and said "But I dropped out to be an actor." My mind immediately wanted to say something about women in STEM. Instead, I just smiled and said "Cool," or something equally as simple. I had no intention of trying to pick this chick up, I just wanted my beer.

Up until this point she was all bubbly and friendly. Then she asks me what year I'm in of study. I said I'm in first year. Now, I probably said it with pride, because this is something I've wanted to study for a long time. But she was clearly unimpressed. Her face just dropped. No more friendliness. Not even a "Good on you." Just puts the beer down, asks for the money.

I just turned away smiling, finally with my beer, knowing that I don't have to come home every night to someone like that.

Lessons to be learnt: Shit tests come at you straight out of the gate. Whenever you think NAWALT, she'll giggle and prove AWALT. Always order pints, it's a volume discount.