Wednesday, February 19, 2003
I miss college and its hallowed grounds chock full of students, fueled by click of mouse total information access, warped on personal beliefs that they are going to make a difference and change the world. Oh, to be young and naïve without a care or true responsibility filled to the brim with idealistic optimism. Makes me…jealous.
College is the greatest ego-booster around. Sure you’re paying them to learn and the workload can get treacherous, but if you make it through to graduation, you walk out of it feeling like the world owes you everything. When I received my diploma I was hell-bent on staying true to myself and not compromising any of beliefs or dreams, which meant nothing more than avoiding the “real” world as long as physically possible. It was a good year and half of bartending, traveling and, of course, partying, but eventually, reality sunk in. It was time to put my degree to work. So, off went the Birkenstocks and out came the neckties.
When I finally landed my first “real” job, I was resolute on retaining my individuality at all costs. But gradually, corporate life began to chip away the chip on my shoulder and compromise became my modus operandi. I went from vowing to never wear a tie to vowing never to own a suit to owning a suit. It didn’t take to long to deduce that it’s pretty tough to assert your individuality in the gray corporate world, especially as a young professional. But, I’m starting to come full circle; at least trying to anyway.
After five plus years in corporate settings, I’ve begun to experience a resurgence, or depending on your level of cynicism, regurgitation, of that same difference-making, bucker of the system ideology that so ruled my academic world days. I suppose it’s the old “knowledge is power” idiom, but that 21-year-old kid who vowed never to wear a tie has traipsed his way through enough brain-storing sessions to solicit my own
out-of-the-box thinking which when taken off-line to discuss with myself has led to the obvious conclusion, I hate corporate life.
I could undoubtedly dedicated pages upon pages dissecting the roots of my hatred, but that would merely be trying to give credence to all things Dilbert and not truly bring forth what the solution to my hatred is, finding something I like. But, to talk about corporate clichés is cliché.
There are millions out there who feel the same way as me, but how many want to do something about it and how much can you rebel against the corporate doctrine without running the risk of being branded an insubordinate and getting your butt tossed to the proverbial curb? So the thinking becomes “how much can I really make a difference?” It’s the classic syndrome of being tiny drop in an ocean of standard operating procedures so we continue to ebb along with the flow to earn our societal keep.
The obvious aside, I’ve come to realize that, ever so subtly, you really can take a stand for your principles and I’ve resolved myself do what I can to go against the corporate grain. I’m not talking earth-shattering, fuck the establishment type rebellion, but little things, like taking a lunch or actually working nine to five, real simple stuff that helps me live my belief that my life will forever be more important than anything that requires me to sit in a cube. Which brings me to my intended point.
Sitting through what will now forever be known as the President’s Day Blizzard of ’03 watching inch upon fluffy inch pile up to feet, I resigned myself to not going to work the following day. With all non-essential city and state workers already told not to report in the following day, I figured my company would follow suit and I knew I would have a good morning’s worth of shoveling staring me in the face. Well, my company made no mention of anything the following day. It was business as usual and I still stayed home, but it wasn’t without the corporate guilt nibbling at me all day.
You know, it wasn’t long ago that the world would have had no problem stopping for the day to allow people to dig out and god forbid, enjoy the majesty of such a storm. Not today. In this era of real-time info and work first mentalities, those adhering to the corporate-first creed hopped in their SUVs and headed straight to work as if it were business as usual. I’m proud to say I wasn’t one of them. Let the revolution begin.
College is the greatest ego-booster around. Sure you’re paying them to learn and the workload can get treacherous, but if you make it through to graduation, you walk out of it feeling like the world owes you everything. When I received my diploma I was hell-bent on staying true to myself and not compromising any of beliefs or dreams, which meant nothing more than avoiding the “real” world as long as physically possible. It was a good year and half of bartending, traveling and, of course, partying, but eventually, reality sunk in. It was time to put my degree to work. So, off went the Birkenstocks and out came the neckties.
When I finally landed my first “real” job, I was resolute on retaining my individuality at all costs. But gradually, corporate life began to chip away the chip on my shoulder and compromise became my modus operandi. I went from vowing to never wear a tie to vowing never to own a suit to owning a suit. It didn’t take to long to deduce that it’s pretty tough to assert your individuality in the gray corporate world, especially as a young professional. But, I’m starting to come full circle; at least trying to anyway.
After five plus years in corporate settings, I’ve begun to experience a resurgence, or depending on your level of cynicism, regurgitation, of that same difference-making, bucker of the system ideology that so ruled my academic world days. I suppose it’s the old “knowledge is power” idiom, but that 21-year-old kid who vowed never to wear a tie has traipsed his way through enough brain-storing sessions to solicit my own
out-of-the-box thinking which when taken off-line to discuss with myself has led to the obvious conclusion, I hate corporate life.
I could undoubtedly dedicated pages upon pages dissecting the roots of my hatred, but that would merely be trying to give credence to all things Dilbert and not truly bring forth what the solution to my hatred is, finding something I like. But, to talk about corporate clichés is cliché.
There are millions out there who feel the same way as me, but how many want to do something about it and how much can you rebel against the corporate doctrine without running the risk of being branded an insubordinate and getting your butt tossed to the proverbial curb? So the thinking becomes “how much can I really make a difference?” It’s the classic syndrome of being tiny drop in an ocean of standard operating procedures so we continue to ebb along with the flow to earn our societal keep.
The obvious aside, I’ve come to realize that, ever so subtly, you really can take a stand for your principles and I’ve resolved myself do what I can to go against the corporate grain. I’m not talking earth-shattering, fuck the establishment type rebellion, but little things, like taking a lunch or actually working nine to five, real simple stuff that helps me live my belief that my life will forever be more important than anything that requires me to sit in a cube. Which brings me to my intended point.
Sitting through what will now forever be known as the President’s Day Blizzard of ’03 watching inch upon fluffy inch pile up to feet, I resigned myself to not going to work the following day. With all non-essential city and state workers already told not to report in the following day, I figured my company would follow suit and I knew I would have a good morning’s worth of shoveling staring me in the face. Well, my company made no mention of anything the following day. It was business as usual and I still stayed home, but it wasn’t without the corporate guilt nibbling at me all day.
You know, it wasn’t long ago that the world would have had no problem stopping for the day to allow people to dig out and god forbid, enjoy the majesty of such a storm. Not today. In this era of real-time info and work first mentalities, those adhering to the corporate-first creed hopped in their SUVs and headed straight to work as if it were business as usual. I’m proud to say I wasn’t one of them. Let the revolution begin.
