I got called in for a whole bunch of interviews around last years bonus season. Interviewed with some good people and one or two real idiots. One thing that struck me having been out of it for 3+ years was just how NEGATIVELY the corporate world looks at everything esp.related to resumes and experience etc but god help anyone who calls a half full glass a half glass (shock horror he didn't say the glass is half FULL, call security!, make sure security guard rings a little bell and shouts "unclean, unclean" as he escorts you off the premises otherwise you'll contaminate the cubicle lemmings). I remain open minded to interesting/lucrative offers from the business as in 'the business' there is decent payout below CEO level, but really the corporate world is running a MLM style mirage where a few get paid and so prove it is achievable so that thousands of others will subsisise the company with their life force.
I you pick your boss and company carefully corporate life can be fun, i only ever accept jobs if i get on well at the interview. I can normally tell somes personality and the company culture pretty quickly. Then when your boss moves on or the project gets canned its normally time for you to move on too. I rarely stay in a contract more than 12 months. If i stay longer its normally because the company and people are a good match for my laid back style. I also treat corporate life as game, where the aim is to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money
Thats funny, I never thought about it that way but there is some truth to that.. I think it just comes down to how easily replaceable you are. Lets face it 90% of people in the corporate world are very easily replaceable.
Brokers used to be partnerships run by people with balls and brains, the corporatisation of the brokerage industry has been something that has been happening so insiduously that you can miss it. I remember reading an article highlighting this (someonme like Purcell at the top of MS was the central theme) and realising that was exactly what had happened without my really noticing. Incresingly it seems the people with balls and brains have left/gone to the hedge funds, leaving just good corporate citizens. Once you have got close enough to the people at the top to see that they don't really know what they are doing then it gets really difficult, also the older you get the heavier those ra ra pom poms get............the 'corporately correct' version of reality (reality as edited and approved by the corporation to suit senior management's purposes) just sticks in your craw.
It all depends on your job. My brother that lucky bastard goes snowboarding before work, takes his dog to work with him -- sometimes takes days off so he can do some sort of activity like snowmobiling or mountain biking. He wears baggy pants to work -- has shaggy hair and gets decent pay considering the paradise he lives in. He's a programmer. In my case it was the complete opposite. Worked for a semiconductor company before quitting -- worst experience in my life. Luck plays a big role in life (at least for most ppl).
This subject was discussed in many other threads but.... Lets say you are young or at least feeling young....stay on the job the perks are so much better. You cannot have a normal life in front of computer. Now, I mean a life for a young person. Let me eleborate. Young people need companioship, which computers cannot offer to them. Young people need attention, love, friends...etc. Plus all of those benefits which job offered. On the other hand if you are in the second part of your life. There are benefits for having a life in front of the computer. One more time with the kids. Two more time with the wife/husband. Three less stress. ETC. Now it isn't easy to see waht is better. But, it all depends on the age how you would reason. But what do I know I am still in college, right.
The key word is *team*. If you work in an environment which has the *team* spirit and everyone seems to be your buddy, then you enjoy going to work. The situation described seems to me like a bunch of people who dont act like a team. I once worked in an office when I was much younger where there was such team spirit. Another good point was that everyone was young and had something in common, lots of liberal open minds. There were also lots of women who didnt mind going out afterwork and sleeping around. Sleeping around was actually a common, acceptable thing. There was a bar down the street where everyone seemed to go afterwork. When there was a problem in the office, it seemed like everyone came together to figure it out. At the end of the year, there was a nice raise for everyone in the office. The company I worked for in those days handed out nice raises and bonuses to all at year end. Ever since I left, I have NEVER been able to duplicate that experience. Everywhere I went afterwords was just bad and *real bad*. In retrospect, maybe I should have never left that place. However, it was *greed* and the search for more cash that made me leave. When you have a good situation, then you leave it alone. . .
Isn't it interesting how many people working for big corporations always look down on the small 1 or 2 person business? A few of the biggest benefits are: Flexibility in schedule (especially good if you have kids) If things change having the ability to adapt as opposed to being let go. The better decisions and improved knowledge many times quickly leading to increased profits. Generally the harder you work the more you make. True the health benefits are a huge expense and generally social life must be found outside of work.
Yea it certainly sounds like you're still in college!!... To be fair, in some cases the office environment can be enjoyable for some, but for most people, its like a very long episode of Big Brother
There are many episodes in life that appear attractive to some, but not attractive to others. At some point in life some of the things that appeared attractive will no longer be that way in the future. At an early stage in my life, I wanted to become a cop. It seemed like a great job to have. I went around, took a few tests, but then nothing ever came of it. There were so many other people that wanted to be a cop too and the tests were always flooded with candidates. It seemed like a very selective process and no one ever got back to me after the test. So I decided to just move on to another field. Now, at this point in my life, I no longer see a policeman's work as glamorous. A New York City police officer is really not a true officer, but more like a foot soldier. The NYPD is constantly out in the elements dealing with all kinds of characters. They sit outside guarding a toll booth to a bridge in zero degree weather. The conditions they have to put up with are simply horrible. They walk around the city all day/all night long. . .and much like a foot soldier, they are very much underpaid. This job was once glamorous to myself, but now I wouldnt want to do it even if you payed me 10 times the salary of what they normally get. It is my belief that no job will ever be perfect except for those rare select opportunities. I kind of like the idea of flipping houses in the real estate boom. If we can only turn back time...