Is it like the movies?

misman1982 · December 2006

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 · December 2006

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.)

Slowhand · December 2006

Incidentally, my work is nothing like that. We're all twenty-somethings, that's true, but we're more along the lines of the gritty, hipster-looking crowd. We work at a datacenter located in an industrial area of Marin County, which is a suburb of San Francisco. T-shirt and jeans is the dress code for the IT department, but that's only because we're generally not in direct contact with clients. We go out drinking after work, some of us hang out on the weekends, and things are pretty relaxed.

The tradeoff for that is that we're not paid in the same salary range as our urban counterparts, and we have to learn things on the fly, as clients need it. There's no real "structure" to our support department, no seperate networking and helpdesk, or anything like that; everyone is studying for Cisco, Microsoft, and Linux certifications and everyone has to know everything from DNS, Active Directory, to ACL's, to configuring and troubleshooting server hardware. Still, it's easygoing and it gives us the opportunity to learn and expand our skills, as well as get certified, so we don't mind.

misman1982 · December 2006

That's awesome.

I'm kinda stuck in the middle. The department is small so there's not much room for competition. Everything is laid back to a point. There's no deadlines for presentations, the dress code is below casual (only jeans on Friday's), and no one is trying to take over my position. That's what I like about this job. I have time to study for my second degree and I have resources around me to ask questions if I'm stuck on something.

I don't like that I'm in such a small place though. I'm actually planning on visiting some places in Atlanta. There are much more opportunities for me to try out up there so hopefully I'll get a taste of that "movie" feel.

I can understand how your company is laid back. I'm comparing it to "40 Days and 40 Nights" with Josh Hartnett. That's a company I'd like to work for. Kinda cheesy but hey, I need a change.

5no-yt · December 2006

Want to know what offices are like in real life? and the odd people that work there?
Watch both the UK and US versions of the office...

Pash · December 2006

Chapt3r:4 wrote:

Want to know what offices are like in real life? and the odd people that work there?
Watch both the UK and US versions of the office...

haha, id love to have a david brent as a boss :P

Kschwartz · January 2007

watch "Office space". Not only is it one of the best/funiest movies ever, it looks more realistic lol.

Is it like the movies?

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