Why do I always have to prove myself

So I have an advanced degree. I don't like to brag or say anything about it but it is the kind of degree that tomorrow I can just start a firm / business.. .like a CPA and charge people. At one point I was billed at $270 per hour (about 5 years ago).

So I am on a volunteer board and yesterday I brought up a project for us to do, which is completely in my expertise. I mean I could charge for this. I don't like to go down the reasons that I shouldn't have a problem doing this but this person who doesn't have any advanced degrees starts trying to suggest this is beyond my capabilities.

I literally had to go down my resume to get him to move even slightly. I could not believe the attitude.

He should have been skipping with glee that I wasn't charging $200 per hour for these free services but instead he was acting like I was just a stupid girl who couldn't handle it.

I remain enraged and kind of don't want to do the project anymore. But I do see the error.. I asked for permission. I shouldn't have asked. I should have just done. But still annoys me that it feels just because I don't go around telling everyone how great I am they then feel they can question me.

It feel like it has been this way my whole life. In high school I went to kind of a private school but then in college I went to a not well ranked college and then it was like because of that, that was all people thought I could do. My worth was directly equal to the last thing I did and if I didn't go around saying how great I was... no one could remember this stuff.

Frustrated.

Education does not equal intelligence.
Getting degrees just show that you had the money and the time, and not everyone has the luxury to have both right after they graduate from high school.

You don't have to prove yourself to anybody. There's a difference between being a pushover and being confident enough in yourself that you don't need to sell yourself to be accepted by others.

& Listen to everyone's inputs and advice as we all can have something important to say, doesn't matter if you're a homeless person, the president, or a Nobel Prize winner.

The frustrating part is that I didn't ask for permission, I asked people to look over the paperwork and see if there was anything they wanted to update and the "mansplainer" took it as to somehow I was asking his permission.

Sorry that you're feeling frustrated

God that is the WORST

Working with a lot of men I learned that you have to word things in a specific way...
When I say "can you look over this?" they will take it was asking, even though really, I'm telling them to in a nice way.
Now I just say "look over this for me and tell me what you think."

And I thank them sincerely after. We think it sounds "*****y" but they'll appreciate the direct/straightforwardness, especially if they're those assholes that think women are always passive.