Is it like the movies?

misman1982

I see many movies and TV shows with a business scene in it. Everyone is dressed impeccably. Attractive people everywhere except the typical "no-life 40-year-old virgins". The environment is quiet, yet the young professionals are playing office sports.

Is it like that at your work?

I work at a County Courthouse with about 20 other IT folks that are on average twice my age. It's kinda hard to hold a conversation with these people knowing that they don't and can't hold any interest in the things I like to talk about.

I'm trying to make the best out of it but I'm sad that I can't "talk amongst my peers"

Slowhand

It really depends. The real world is rarely like the movies, so you can't expect to see nothing but attractive 20-somethings with washboard abs or movie-start looks working in IT. It does, however, tend to lean more towards the younger, fresher crowd when you're working in a larger city, especially if you're in an area like Silicon Valley, for example. In places like San Francisco or San Jose, you'll see a lot of competition, even compared to the rest of the country (even the rest of the world), and a lot of times the younger crowd ousts the older guys based on willingness to work longer hours, take on more job roles, and simply because they're seen as more versitile than their older counterparts. (Whether or not that's true is a whole other story.)

If you're looking for the younger crowd, you have to get yourself in a more competitive environment. Think along the lines of New York, Chicaco, Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc. . . The tradeoff, however, is that you'll need to be better, faster, and smarter than just about everyone else around you. That means at least a four-year degree, certifications, experience, and the drive to do more and learn more than the next guy so you stay useful and don't get outclassed by someone gunning for your job. The good news is that you'll probably be earning a lot more money than you did in the smaller setting. (And, despite what people say, you'll get to a point where the cost of living in the more expensive areas doesn't matter when weighed against salaries that can be anywhere from $65,000 per year, all the way up to $125,000, depending on your credentials.)