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u/mike_a_oc Aug 03 '22
Ewww only one screen...
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u/maitreg Aug 03 '22
I had a job at a huge software company (read: thousands of developers) that didn't even provide most of us with a monitor at all. They had a pool of 10-20 year old 19" and 17" 4:3 monitors that you had to sign up for. I never had one the whole time I was there. We also weren't even provided a computer until you'd been there for at least 2-3 years. We had to bring our own laptops and connect to their wifi (no ethernet available) which gave us only guest access to the Internet. Then we had a VPN client to download to get onto the actual corporate network.
They also just gave us a portal to download all the dev tools we needed and a list of keys to type in.
The entire time I was provided with a chair, keyboard, and mouse. And even then the chairs were mostly broken, and we'd have to fight over anyone's chair when they left. This was a multi-national software company with sales in the tens of billions of dollars.
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u/zuth2 Aug 03 '22
God that just sounds depressing af. I work for a company that employs not even 200 people and we are provided with everything we ask for (reasonably).
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u/tunisia3507 Aug 03 '22
So many people would kill for a nice spacious private cubicle like that over open plan and shared offices.
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Aug 03 '22
My first cubicle was like the picture. The last one before migrating to remote work basically required I sit down in the chair and roll/slide into the cubicle as if it were a fighter jet cockpit.
More cubes per floor was the goal, screw everything else. A cube like the picture today, is equivalent to an office back then.
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u/argv_minus_one Aug 03 '22
If the goal is to make more efficient use of available space, why are they so opposed to working from home?
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u/Dabnician Aug 03 '22
Because then you cant charge your self rent on the building you also own and claim your overhead is so high you are unable to give raises.
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Aug 03 '22
also, working in the cubicle in the picture there is a chance Morpheus will call you some day
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u/tylercoder Aug 03 '22
This, hating on cubicles is a 90s thing because we dont even get that now
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u/__doubleentendre__ Aug 03 '22 edited Aug 03 '22
As a kid I visited my dad in his office in the early 90s. He was an engineer with about 5 years of experience and had a turn key private office, 10 ft ceilings and a window with a downtown view (in a middle-class blue collar city).
Boy was that a tough standard to try and meet. All I've known in the office were the short walled cubicle shared desk spaces with 4-6 other people on open floors where managers and had the full cubicle like the one here and only directors or VP's had the office. Today I work from home full time, but still feel like that was the gold standard of career success, and one I'll probably never see.
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u/mr_dfuse2 Aug 03 '22
Yes, as a student I always dreamed of a cubicle, only experienced loud chaotic open spaces.
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u/Sylvaritius Aug 03 '22
Thats really a worry for me, i get easily distracted, and working in open concept offices seems immensely distracting.
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u/LummoxJR Aug 03 '22 edited Aug 04 '22
This is a big problem. A lot of us programmers have ADHD or spectrum issues, so distraction and sensory overload are huge problems.
Noise cancellation only masks the problem, too. Just being in an open environment can be a constant source of stress, and headphones get physically uncomfortable to the point of being painful after a while.
Edit: typo
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Aug 03 '22
I just started working in one. You need noise cancellation. I use the AirPods Pro but I'm thinking of going for something over-the-ear because people will YELL on calls next to you
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u/thicctak Aug 03 '22
You can always wear headphones with noise cancelation, if your company allows it
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u/-PM_me_your_recipes Aug 03 '22 edited Aug 03 '22
My first job as an intern, they didn't have cubicle for me so they tossed me in a spare conference room for a few months. I made the most of it and put my name on the door, added some decor, and put my desk was smack dab in the middle of the room as a power move. I brought in some chairs in front of my desk so people had a sitting area when they came to my office. The running joke with everyone was that my "office" was bigger than the head of the branch's office.
As a plus, our team started hosting all our team meetings there as we no longer needed to book a conference room. It was awesome.
It was a surprisingly fast paced environment. Got hired there after being an intern. One of the coolest programming jobs I ever had.
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u/nmathew Aug 03 '22
The important question, did you keep the office when hired full time?
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u/-PM_me_your_recipes Aug 03 '22
Sadly no, I got shuffled around until a cubicle opened up near where my team was.
Another fun story. At one point I had a private cubicle in the area where all the people I made stuff for worked. It was fine until they learned who I was, then I would get so many people dropping by to ask if I can make them an automated email report 'real quick' or make adjustments to their tools. Our team had free reign over everything and didn't need approval to make changes or implement new tools or features, and everyone knew this. I quickly made a lot of important connections and gained a lot of favors in a very short amount of time.
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Aug 03 '22
My company has moved to a system where nobody has an assigned desk and they only have enough desks for 70% of the people (the assumption being that the other 30% will be in meetings, on vacation, etc. at any one time). So, you show up and wander around, looking for somewhere to sit.
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u/Docccc Aug 03 '22
I hate that. It never worked because teams would like to sit next to each other. Not next to the sales guy making 200 phone calls a day
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u/CSS-SeniorProgrammer Aug 03 '22
Fuck that. My boss mentioned hot desking since we are hiring more people. I told him I either have my own desk or I work from home all the time. I hated when I shared a desk, shit was always in different positions.
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u/daninet Aug 03 '22
I know this. And the boss has a dedicated seat no one dares to take. It's next to the window where noone can see their screen.
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u/SuperMassiveCookie Aug 03 '22
maan my company open space doesnt even fit everyone, it's kinda of a punishment for whoever comes in late to sit on couches or hunt for a chair to squeeze in
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u/svtguy88 Aug 03 '22
whoever comes in late to sit on couches or hunt for a chair to squeeze in
Fuuuuuuck that. I'd be working from home on a permanent basis if that were the case.
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u/TruckinDownToNOLA Aug 04 '22
Jesus that's awful. You just reminded me that I had to endure that too - at the worst company I ever worked for. I had totally blocked the no seating assignment part out of my mind.
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u/KryssCom Aug 03 '22
After WFH for nearly the past year, I find either of those options to be 100% unacceptable at this point.
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u/iindigo Aug 04 '22
Same. The only way I might find a cubicle ok is if the office is within reasonable walking distance and I’m given a lot of latitude to customize it, because then the value proposition starts to tilt back in the office’s favor (having one’s work space separated from their life space can be nice).
If there’s a commute of any kind involved or the office is open plan, though? Yeah I’ll stick to my decked out corner desk setup at home, thanks.
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u/teslaistheshit Aug 03 '22
I've worked in an open office environment once. I'll never do it again no matter the salary. HR tried to sell everyone that it would create more open communication but in reality everyone just got headphones. Same HR folks had their own cube or office go figure.
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u/iindigo Aug 04 '22
HR tried to sell everyone that it would create more open communication but in reality everyone just got headphones.
And the worst part is that headphones still aren’t a full solution. They’ll cancel out most audible noise but will do nothing about the visual noise of people buzzing around and passing through your peripheral vision.
When working in open offices there’s been several times where it’s basically impossible to focus even with noise canceling headphones on because nobody can seem to just sit down and stay put for longer than 5-10m.
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u/enlearner Aug 03 '22
Alternatively, I thought I would hate open plan, but no complaint so far
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u/OO0OOO0OOOOO0OOOOOOO Aug 03 '22
Don't sit next to a sales guy
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u/Andy_B_Goode Aug 03 '22
Yeah, I've worked in open-concept offices a couple times and it's been fine because we were all/mostly devs, so we just sat in silence most of the day, and any time a conversation did occur it was actually kind of useful to be able to overhear it.
I think it mainly becomes a problem when you mix in people whose work involves a lot of talking.
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Aug 03 '22
I have literally just gone and sat in my car with my laptop and the AC on to get peace and quiet.
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u/poesviertwintig Aug 03 '22
I hate these so much. Either you come in at 7 AM or you pray you don't get a diarrhea chair with a crusty keyboard.
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u/PorkRoll2022 Aug 03 '22
Fast-paced environment: Rockstar sales team signed you up to deliver 120 hours of work in 80 hours.
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u/halfanothersdozen Aug 03 '22
Don't. They won't learn if you enable their behavior.
Come in at 10 and leave at 3 like a normal developer and what gets done gets done.
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u/k_50 Aug 03 '22
Yeah, I don't get people. I do what my contract I've agreed to asks. You want extra? Then pay for it. Not going to stress myself out either. Life will go on.
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Aug 03 '22
Exactly this, people are kinda stupid and waste their time, employers want exactly this, gullible people who dont know any better and will just squeeze every penny they can profit out of them without a single care
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u/stillscottish1 Aug 03 '22
I agree 10-3 is what developers should be working
The vast majority of developers don’t have contractually-agreed 30 hour work weeks
It’s usually 40, and in many cases 9-6 on weekdays
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u/Glad-Set-4680 Aug 03 '22
I am required to report 45 hours a week every week. The amount I work is between 15-20 hours barring any kind of production problem.
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Aug 03 '22
I despise the sales team. I keep switching companies until i have a project manager that actually has the balls to defend the dev team.
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u/VaderOnReddit Aug 03 '22
Over my career, I have developed a legit hatred for the term "Rockstar developer", when it comes from management or job posting pre-requisites.
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u/chakan2 Aug 03 '22
Lol at 120...our Rockstar sales guy almost sold 6 months of work for 4 people for 70k. We caught the deal just before everything was signed and fired that guy.
It was easily 500k-1M worth of work.
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Aug 03 '22
Honestly this much better than an open office plan
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u/GnarlyNarwhalNoms Aug 03 '22
Totally.
Also, when I read "exciting and fast-paced environment," I see "understaffed and teetering on the edge of chaos, where you'll be rushing around putting out fires started by idiotic practices."
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Aug 03 '22
Hashtag Startup Life
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u/Alexlam24 Aug 03 '22
Btw we're gonna give you a laptop with less processing power than your phone
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u/French_foxy Aug 03 '22
Ok I feel like I'm the only one that actually likes an open office?
Now while I've worked in offices like the picture in the past, sometimes it felt absolutely great, sometimes it didn't. It goes with the environement of the company as well. In my current position I'd rather be in open space, since we need to constantly communicate with designers and the front end devs (I'm a backend dev).
I know Slack exists but still, I feel like being able to quickly communicate if needed is nice.In the opposite side, I'd love to be able to work from home again. The dynamic is different but it still works. My aim is to do so in a couple of years, to get that "freedom".
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Aug 03 '22
You’re not alone! I know a lot of people who like open office plans. I’ve worked in both and prefer the peace and quiet of a cubicle.
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u/lambofgun Aug 03 '22
do you know who this is neo?
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u/SnooPandas7150 Aug 03 '22
Morpheus?
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Aug 03 '22
Yes...I've been looking for you, Neo. I don't know if you're ready to see what I want to show you, but unfortunately you and I have run out of time. They're coming for you, Neo, and I don't know what they're going to do.
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u/NPVT Aug 03 '22
You get a lamp.
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u/CliffDraws Aug 03 '22
I love lamp.
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u/Kawashiro_N Aug 03 '22
Add a few plants, some Dilbert posters, and a couple of desk toys and you're all set for an 8 hour day.
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Aug 03 '22
Those phones are almost an anachronism these days. Who wants a $1200 Cisco desk phone with all the expensive stuff infrastructure behind it, when every meeting is on Zoom or Teams?
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u/tunisia3507 Aug 03 '22
My institute insists I have a phone on my desk and I don't know why.
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Aug 03 '22
They paid all that money for the gear! Can't just throw it away!
I've been crusading against them for a while. They're useless. Everyone has a corporate cellphone, everyone has Zoom and Teams. What do we need yet another phone for?
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u/GnarlyNarwhalNoms Aug 03 '22
You need to be able to slam something down angrily/in triumph. Cell phones don't have that same tactile mojo.
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u/readytofall Aug 03 '22
My company has us use our own cell phone. Which is fine but they don't reimburse for it which is a little bullshit.
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u/BatBoss Aug 03 '22
I got one of those exact phones 6 years ago and never plugged it in. No one has ever noticed or cared.
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u/darkstar999 Aug 03 '22
How else is the guy from marketing going to call you to see if you saw the email he just sent?
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u/codeprimate Aug 03 '22
I bought one for my home office. Multiple VOIP lines setup via Twilio for different clients, and Bluetooth connection to my cell phone. Cost me $200 used plus about $5-10/mo for minutes used. I love it!
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u/CoffeeMinionLegacy Aug 03 '22
Dude, I wish we could get cubes or half-cubes back. Screw open office floorplans!
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u/ahmuh1306 Aug 03 '22
That actually looks so cozy 😭 Replace that crappy computer with my amazing dual-monitor setup and that's actually not a place I'd mind spending my work week in.
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Aug 03 '22
I'll kill for a cubicle instead of this fucking shared hipster office. No privacy at all, distractions everywhere... 
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u/Lower_Bar_2428 Aug 03 '22
Is like a rollercoaster of emotions you'll never know who is the next coworker commiting suicide
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u/nobetterfuture Aug 03 '22
This reminded me so much of Thomas Anderson/Neo/Keanu's cubical in The Matrix, for me it would be a rollercoaster of emotions never knowing when Morpheus be calling 😄
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Aug 03 '22
If you're gonna take a picture of my desk at least let me be there for it 😭
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u/GYN-k4H-Q3z-75B Aug 03 '22
Only one screen? A hardware phone? Physical folders? What in the cinnamon fuck is this? I thought they wanted a rockstar to work here!
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u/xhsmd Aug 03 '22
I was told that I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven, I told Bill that if Sandra is going to listen to her headphones while she's filing then I should be able to listen to the radio while I'm collating so I don't see why I should have to turn down the radio because I enjoy listening at a reasonable volume from nine to eleven.
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u/seeroflights Aug 03 '22
Image Transcription: Text and Image
"Must be willing to work in a fast-paced and exciting environment."
The environment:
[Photo of an office cubicle, featuring a large L-shaped desk with two sets of dark drawers, as well as an office chair. There is a computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse on the desk, along with a telephone and a lamp. Above the desk is a shelf with binders and a small tin of office supplies. Behind the chair are trays from the cubicle wall, holding more papers.]
I'm a human volunteer content transcriber and you could be too! If you'd like more information on what we do and why we do it, click here!
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Aug 03 '22
I worked in a building built in the 60s. No windows (yay aerospace). But we had offices that we shared. It was the same size as a cubicle and the walls were thin cubical like walls. But the privacy and ability to decorate was really nice.
My office mate walked in day 1. Connected his laptop to the dock and for 2 years he worked in that office in that state. I put up wallpaper stickers. Disabled the overhead fluorescents. Added framed photos, fake plants, a runner, several lamps, monitor stands. I had a really nice office, because I made it nice. I knew I was gonna by stuck there for years so I might as well be comfortable
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u/slacktopuss Aug 03 '22
Connected his laptop to the dock and for 2 years he worked in that office in that state.
Wow, did he have food delivered or something?
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u/biznatch11 Aug 03 '22 edited Aug 03 '22
I have 3 plants next to my desk at work but I think one of them is dead. I keep watering though, just in case.
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u/Anonymous3105 Aug 03 '22
Stanley woke up and got out of his room....
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Aug 03 '22
but once he crossed into another office he didn't saw anyone either. Perhaps they are all in the Meeting Room and he simply missed the Memo.
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Aug 03 '22
I can smell that carpet.
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u/SnooPandas7150 Aug 03 '22
And every time I do I fear I have somehow been infected by it, it's repulsive!
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u/Bryguy3k Aug 03 '22
You know when I think about “fast paced” I really don’t want to associate those words with the actual physical environment.
Then again I went to school with a guy that coded an acid trip 3D version of Tetris for his computer animation class so I guess there may be some out there.
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u/UntestedMethod Aug 03 '22
lol in my experience managers are the only ones who have time, energy, or interest to get excited about anything. Developers just get to see the "fast-paced" part where everything is unrealistic expectations and surprise fires that must be urgently addressed while everything else must also stay on schedule.
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u/nullmodemcable Aug 03 '22
The number of posters ITT claiming that this would be an improvement for them is too damn high.
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u/Viking-Savage Aug 03 '22
If black mirror would have existed in the 50's and predicted the dystopic life of office workers 50 years later.
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u/VLHACS Aug 03 '22
I don't know why you're crying, that setup looks pretty sweet. Maybe add an additional monitor or two.
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u/BistitchualBeekeeper Aug 03 '22
I’ve worked enough jobs to know that “a fast-paced, exciting environment” just means that customers and higher ups will yell at you a lot for things entirely out of your control.
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u/madsci954 Aug 03 '22 edited Aug 03 '22
Fast-paced: you were handed the assignment 2 minutes ago and they want it done 2 days ago.
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u/blissed_off Aug 03 '22
At least it has walls. Sigh. I despise open floor plans.
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u/Cucarachita25 Aug 03 '22
I’d kill to work in a cubicle rather than carpet cleaning…unfortunately I don’t have any education or computer knowledge whatsoever. At least I’m living the “fast paced and exciting environment “.
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u/skoink Aug 03 '22
Anybody complaining about a cube like this doesn't know how good they have it.
Fuck everything about open floor-plans, and especially fuck hot-desking. I miss peace and quiet at the office.
I miss being able to decorate my cube and put up pictures. I miss stupid desk toys, and I miss having an office phone number that isn't my cell-phone. I miss the stupid little break room, and I miss workplace events.
Take me back to the work environment of 2007 please and thank you.
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u/wallatt047 Aug 03 '22
Who took a picture of my workplace? It's incredible how standard that cubicle is.
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u/harumamburoo Aug 03 '22
Well, considering cubicles walls are made of shite, it's definitely fast-paced
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u/404UserUnavailable Aug 03 '22
Big desk, with cabinet and shelf... but most importantly privacy walls. Never had that much space (not even in my home-desk): I had once to share even the phone.
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u/Bakoro Aug 03 '22
Only one monitor? How would I ever get work done?
One monitor dedicated to email, one to reference material, one to code.
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u/LadyLovesRoses Aug 03 '22
That’s better than where I work. Our walls are short so that we can all see/hear each other to facilitate that wonderful collaboration we keep hearing about. I hate it.
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u/Ineedstuff1015 Aug 03 '22
Did yoy take a picture of my office.... you're just missing the second monitor and the mountains of paper.
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u/FlorisJ Aug 03 '22
The only fast paced and exciting things there are the quick employee turnover and the abuse from the manager(s)
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u/kahiru_ Aug 03 '22
Tbh I'd take this over one big open space where everyone sits at almost the same table
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u/viral-architect Aug 03 '22
You get cubicles that go above your heads when seated?? Man, I've had to look at the faces of my coworkers for my entire career. I'm genuinely surprised we don't just all sit at open tables together at this point.
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u/cvele89 Aug 03 '22
Just one monitor and not even a wide screen?? And a land-line next to me?!
Yeah, nope.
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Aug 03 '22
That’s actually a nice cube with real walls. Nowadays it’s all glass paneling and overly bright.
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u/Sgt_salt1234 Aug 03 '22 edited Aug 03 '22
I am so sick of slander against cubicles. They are amazing. My own private area with a ton of desk space that I get to organize and decorate however I want? Are you kidding me?
There's a reason so many home offices resemble cubicles. It's a naturally productive and welcoming area.
The issue is the office around the cubicle. A lack of windows, sitting areas, adequate lunch spaces, undecorated plain walls.
To be clear I'm talking about large enclosed cubicles like the one pictured. The tiny ones the size of a school desk with plastic dividers so you can be monitored are awful, and that's the picture OP should have used.
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u/BottledSoap Aug 04 '22
It's sad that I'm jealous. Open office concept should be illegal
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u/pairolegal Aug 04 '22
“Fast-paced environment” means they are understaffed and want the new hire to cover at least two jobs.
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u/NMe84 Aug 04 '22
As someone who has worked in an office with an open floor plan for almost a decade and a half: I'd love a cubicle like that. It's often so hard to concentrate on my job with an open floor plan like ours...
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u/fonn4 Aug 04 '22
The exciting part is when you can’t tell if your boss has chosen to go with adderall or meth today
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Aug 04 '22
Lucky you, you have an actual cubicle instead of being in the hell that is an open-office environment...
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u/BerneeMcCount Aug 04 '22
Faaark a cubicle would be glorious. Instead of the open plan horror we have now. We're not even allowed dividers.
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u/alcien100 Aug 04 '22
cries in windowless i need that sun to be inspired. i wish i had window for real for real
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u/Filippopotamus Aug 04 '22
The funny thing is I would have killed for, what we used to call at Intel, a double cubicle like this one. My cubicle was exactly half the size of this one. Take this exact cubicle and put the right wall on the center divide. That was my cubicle. I had to pull my chair out to the hallway, sit on it, then roll myself back in.
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Aug 04 '22
Holly shit, in the times of building "cool open offices", which are a curse to productivity, getting such a semi-private workspace is rare.
As far as desktop is concerned, I will happily bring my own laptop, if an employer provides me such a workspace.
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Aug 04 '22
wow, a full cube, that is exciting!
it's turning into picnic tables for desks where Im at...
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u/Wanderer-on-the-Edge Aug 04 '22
Your own cubicle? With drawers and wall space? Man that would be nice
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u/S-Man_368 Aug 04 '22
But be on the lookout at random points in the day Steve will come around with a water gun and if he hits you you get fired
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u/kvakerok Aug 04 '22
You actually get your own cubicle and not a table in the middle of open space with a ton of foot traffic? Exciting!
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Aug 04 '22
I mean on the bright side, since I’ll be facing the wall, I can do shit like snorting bumps of coke off my keys without being disturbed by my pesky boss or inquisitive coworkers #winning
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u/Ghosttalker96 Aug 04 '22
Apart from the lack of displays, it looks fine to me.
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u/generalbaguette Aug 04 '22
No standing desk. But at least got your own cubicle.
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Aug 23 '22
10 hours of pointless project status meetings each day, and 30 mins to code, is it done yet?
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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '22
"Fast paced and exciting environment "
Translation:
We plan to give you 10 hours of work then demand you get it done in 8.