Why do people look down on corporate jobs?

[AmbrNrgy]

Lots of people on here do. Those evil corporations! lol. It's not that bad where I work. The people are really nice, good pay, vacation, benefits. Not uber-exciting work, but not 100% mind-numbing either. I don't like it when people say that you "sell out" if you work for one. I'd rather "sell out" and be able to take the trip to Greece, than work at Starbucks and live at home. :neutral:

[wordsmith]

Some people are simply more interested in doing something more off the beaten path. There are tradeoffs either way. If you like it, that's great. But others might find other pursuits more appealing. It's just a matter of personal taste in regard to what sort of atmosphere you're best suited to, etc.

[AmbrNrgy]

I worked in non-profit for a year (a very well-known university) and I didn't like it. I don't think I'm liberal enough for that type of environment. Also, it was really, really hard to move up there. To each his own.

[samender]

I have worked for both types and really it came down to the individual job. I have liked working corporate jobs in the past and I have liked working at non-profit type jobs. It has also been the other way.

[jdt141]

Have you read Dilbert? Some of that stuff is dead on! And yeah, the lack of logic will drive you crazy in the corporate world.

[wtbforever21]

Lots of people on here do. Those evil corporations! lol. It's not that bad where I work. The people are really nice, good pay, vacation, benefits. Not uber-exciting work, but not 100% mind-numbing either. I don't like it when people say that you "sell out" if you work for one. I'd rather "sell out" and be able to take the trip to Greece, than work at Starbucks and live at home. :neutral:

1. The negative things I heard from people who work in corporations. My mom especially.

2. Not uber-exciting. There's no way I can sit behind a cubicle 8 hours a day. I need a lot of movement and human interation.

3. Environment and people tend to be more conservative than liberal.

I would not say I look down on these jobs. It just isn't my cup of tea.

[aj030201]

Not All corporate jobs are the same, to lump them all into one category is ludacris (not the rapper) I am in my cube maybe 3 hours a day and the other 5 are spent in meetings and seminars. I get to travel all over North and Central America and the decisions I make can really help people. Just because I am well compensated doesn't make it evil, I just think it's the people that aren't paid well that can be jealous.

[bumpy]

some corporations are very cool to work for, like Google!

bumpy!

[cheshrcarol]

Ambr, I agree. There seems to be a lot of negative stuff around here about corporate jobs.

1. The negative things I heard from people who work in corporations. My mom especially.

2. Not uber-exciting. There's no way I can sit behind a cubicle 8 hours a day. I need a lot of movement and human interation.

3. Environment and people tend to be more conservative than liberal.
Have you ever worked in a corporate environment? It doesn't sound to me like you're speaking from first-hand experience. Each corporation, as well as each individual position is different. Depending on what your job is you could very well be running around all day every day or in meetings, not in a cube.

As far as the liberal/conservative thing goes - I really think it depends on what area of the country you're living in. I am from a solid blue state, and the majority of people from the CEO on down are all liberal. We have one conservative exec, but here in NY, even the conservatives are fairly socially liberal.

[Taza Tikha]

It's kind of like why some people look down on those who live in the 'burbs, or why some people look down on those who drive SUVs, or why some people would rather gouge out an eye than step foot in Starbucks. It's a reverse snobbism that comes from one thinking he or she is too enlightened to be tied down to such a pedestrian way of life. And the people who like a stable job, 2.5 kids, and a backyard for the dog are just boring people without lives, who should have killed themselves before they turned 30. (Okay, that's a little extreme, but I see this sentiment on these boards A LOT.)

[wtbforever21]

I'm in a red state. That's fine with me because I'm politically moderate. However, socially, I'm quite liberal. I'm sure there's jobs in corporations that have more liberal and laidback environments, but I know for sure that the area I'm going into is quite liberal - possibly the same profession that AmbrNrgy was in. BTW, I sent you a PM Ambr.

[AmbrNrgy]

And the people who like a stable job, 2.5 kids, and a backyard for the dog are just boring people without lives, who should have killed themselves before they turned 30. (Okay, that's a little extreme, but I see this sentiment on these boards A LOT.)


I get that vibe from people here a lot.

[wordsmith]

Theoretically, I work for a corporation, one that owns about 100 small newspapers across the country. However, I personally have very little interaction with the parent corporation, and we are run for the most part autonomously. And it's small newspapers, so there goes the mythical theory that all corporations = well-paying. Oh, and because it's the media, it's more liberal than conservative, so there goes the mythical theory that all corporations = conservative politics.

This is run nothing like the stereotypical "corporate" job or atmophere. I have no cubicle, I'm wearing a tank top and denim skirt, open toed sandals, my legs are bare, and I'm wearing a ponytail. My sister came running through to pick me up for lunch earlier and gave my publisher a high five, and my graphic designer just threw a handful of buttermints at me to get my attention. A chick I just wrote a feature on came in and gave me a hug. I do varied interviews and stories all week, and run around doing photography. I'm no number cruncher, I'm a writer. Nobody second guesses me or micromanages me, I report to nobody most of the time, I take care of my own stuff as I see fit, and nobody gives me shit. It's run very much like my last job, which was a died in the wool nonprofit. The atmosphere's practically interchangeable.

So, yes, some jobs that are in truth corporate can be interesting and varied and off the beaten path, and don't necessitate being an office drone in stuffy attire. Nobody would ever make a Dilbert or Office Space connection with where I work.

But I chose it specifically because of this. I wouldn't want to work a dry job with no variety to speak of, where one day is interchangeable with the next, so I don't. I held out for something that was different and more my speed. If that makes me a snob, for not buckling down to a more "typical" corporate job, so be it.

But it's not really any more or less stable of work than its noncorporate counterparts. I think it's a pretty gross generalization to assume that people who prefer more noncorporate atmospheres are jealous of those who do prefer them, simply because their tastes and priorities are different.

[ebruening]

Well, having worked for my state's largest employer (the state government) for 6 months, I can tell you that my "looking down on corporate/government employees" attitude vanished rather quickly. Yeah, a lot of my coworkers did have the 2.5 kids/suburban house with a backyard fence/new SUV lifestyle...and you know what? They remain some of the most generous people I've ever met. The job was not great, but my coworkers were wonderful people. As I get older and move out of college into a "professional job" with grad. classes part-time, I realize that a lot of people are applying stereotypes of some sort to me. I don't sweat it anymore. One of my friends said that I'm not a "real graduate student" because I go part time. Ok, fine, that's his opinion. Sure, I listen to Top 40 radio (and like it) and I'll probably have to get over my loathing of Wal-mart and shop there for groceries before too long...it's been very interesting to see how my perceptions of other people have changed since I graduate from college. You do what you have to do to get by, so who am I to judge what others do for their occupation? Everyone's different.

[shimmer728]

"Reverse snobbery" is a trend that has GOT to go. And I am not just talking about on here.....I mean in general. Who the fuck cares if someone wants to work a corporate job, live in the suburbs in a house with a white picket fence and eat exclusively at chain restaurants? Oooh, yeah, they're really destroying the fabric of America, one cup of Starbucks at a time. Seriously, get a life.

And this from someone who does not hold a corporate job and doesn't live in the suburbs, and may never do either.

[Kitty]

"Reverse snobbery" is a trend that has GOT to go.

Agreed - and I think its pretty bad on this site.

[lilyflower]

One of my friends said that I'm not a "real graduate student" because I go part time. Ok, fine, that's his opinion. Sure, I listen to Top 40 radio (and like it) and I'll probably have to get over my loathing of Wal-mart and shop there for groceries before too long...it's been very interesting to see how my perceptions of other people have changed since I graduate from college.

I get this a lot too, there's a real perception in science that you're not a REAL scientist or researcher if you work for a (gasp) pharmaceutical company. Oh, and you're not a real science grad student either, if you don't do a Ph.D and go full-time and live off of ramen. I personally think some of it is to abate jealousy. Hell, yeah, I probably make double what someone working in a research lab does and I have my grad schooling paid for by my employer. I tend to think that calling me "not a real scientist" helps some of these people sleep at night. :razz:

[wtbforever21]

But I feel like most of the negativity against corporate jobs comes from those of us who work in them and make no secret that we're pretty unhappy there.

And that speaks volumes, right? ;)

Too much "reverse snobbery"? This can and DOES go both ways you all know.

[wordsmith]

I don't know why it's snobbery, reverse or not, to be pretty clear in your mind about what sort of work environment you're best suited to and would prefer. It reminds me of the public school/private school debate. People are of different tastes and temperaments, and may prefer one atmosphere to the other. We should all aspire to the same things, now, and have matching tastes, or we're snobs? How many people have posted that they could never, under any circumstances tolerate living in a rural or small town area? Or how the inner city is ghetto and scary? A TON. This isn't snobbish, yet saying, "Suburbia holds no appeal for me," is? Hmmm.

[SunDevil]

I'm still not shopping at Wal-Mart or Starbucks anytime soon. I just don't think they are good companies and the way they operate doesn't sit well with me.

I think people look down on other jobs, the blue-collar factory/construction/manual labor type jobs. Even though I work in corporate America, it isn't that great, but what else am I going to do?

[tarzanneedsbeer]

You wake up in the morning, hit the snooze button 4 or 5 times. Take a shower, look at the clock realize your gonna be late. Sit in traffic for 45 minutes, sneak in through the side 15 minutes late hoping that nobody sees you. For the next 8 hours you stare at a computer performing mindless profit/loss calculation in Excel. The highlight of your day is lunch, which based on your salary mean Taco Bell or Swanson's frozen meals. On a good day you'll only have one meeting, where your manager talks about "hitting" sales goals or talks about "synergizing." At 6 o'clock you turn your computer off and rush towards the exit, head bowed, praying that your manager doesn't have one last thing he needs help with. You spend the next 45 minutes staring at the brake lights of the car in front of you as you make your way home. Come into an empty apt. heat up some dinner and then clean up. Watch an hour or two of T.V maybe even pop open a beer. By this time it's already 10 or 11 o'clock and by golly, you've got to go to bed because you have to go to wake up for work tomorrow. Yippee!

Repeat this process 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year (2 years vacation), for the next 40 years. Yeah, you might be thinking that this isn't so bad. I mean, maybe I find a nice husband/wife have a few kids, maybe even buy a house someday. But really, what have you accomplished? Your entire life has been pointless, and when you die nobody will remember you because your entire life has been a waste of time. Hitting sales figures, picking out linens for your house, worrying about being downsized. Corporate jobs suck your soul dry, making you think that increasing profit margins for some corporate entity is important. When in reality nothing could be further from the truth.

[SunDevil]

That was a great post. It is like you watched Office Space and Fight Club back-to-back.

And the people who like a stable job, 2.5 kids, and a backyard for the dog are just boring people without lives

Society expects us to have these things, if we don't we are deficient, or something is wrong with us. But maybe we are looking to see if there is a different lifestyle that would make us happier. Maybe you don't need to go into debt, maybe you can take a year off and travel without a plan, maybe you can retire at 45, maybe you can enjoy being married for 10 years before you have kids. I still think it is the large group of people that have the 'normal' American lifestyle that look down upon the masses and think people who don't do the normal thing are less than them.

*Please note that I would like a stable job that I don't need to compete for each year.

[bumpy]

Well I hope you all don't think that corporate America categorically sucks on my account... my posts are a cautionary tale how miserable one can be if one selects schools and career paths for the wrong reasons and gets trapped. Consulting is the wrong job for me, but that is one of a million corporate type jobs and I definitely am not yet convinced corporate America's all bad. And I don't think consulting is all bad either, it may be a great job for some people. I'm just not among them. ;)

So what are you doing about it?

bumpy!

[Bruiser]

If all you are aiming for is mediocrity, then mediocrity is all you will get. If all you see in the corporate world is hitting the feeder bar for a food pellet 9 hours a day 5 days a week 50 weeks a year for 40 years, then you will not amount to anything. But, take the time to learn new things, make suggestions to improve bad processes, get training for other tasks, blow away your sales goals instead of just hitting them, try to make a difference, and kiss a little ass every now & then and you will be able to move up and make a difference. Heck, maybe even get some notoriety. I don't want to be a mindless rat in the maze, and I'm not going to be one. It just takes lots of time & lots of effort.

[AmbrNrgy]

I think there is this misconception about corporate jobs that all you do is sit at a desk and stare at your screen all day. When in fact there are many jobs that are very stimulating to the mind, and many enjoyable careers within 4 walls of an office building. You just have to experiment and find what drives you.

For instance, one of my friends is sort of ignorant in the fact that she said to me "i could never do that...i'd get too bored sitting there". I mean...does she even realize how diverse the jobs within a corporation are? You just have to search around and find what interests you. I guess not. I didn't even want to argue with her, though.

[wordsmith]

Keep in mind, though, that we're generalizing. As I already said, I myself, work for a corporation, but nobody would draw a picture of my workplace if they were playing Pictionary and had to illustrate "corporate." It doesn't fit the stereotype remotely.

But, since I think we're talking about stereotypical, large office-building, scores of coworkers in large departments-type jobs here, it's pretty fair to say that obviously, that's not an environment that will appeal to everyone.

[Taza Tikha]

It's totally okay to recognize when something doesn't suit you, but it's not okay to insult people it does suit. There's a difference between saying "I'd prefer to build houses" and "People who work in corporate jobs are sheep."

[shimmer728]

It's totally okay to recognize when something doesn't suit you, but it's not okay to insult people it does suit. There's a difference between saying "I'd prefer to build houses" and "People who work in corporate jobs are sheep."

That is exactly what I was trying to say. Thank you.

[bumpy]

It's totally okay to recognize when something doesn't suit you, but it's not okay to insult people it does suit. There's a difference between saying "I'd prefer to build houses" and "People who work in corporate jobs are sheep."

the question is what do people do to address this?

(or what excuses do people use to stay in their jobs ...

mine is "I like being paid..." :bigger:

)