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Yes, I admit it, I am pro-corporate. All you people who hate “the man” and are “anti-establishment” probably think I’m insane.
The thing is, I don’t think I really am. See, I’m a person who likes structure. I tell everyone, “I can think outside the box, but I need a box.” Part of my jobs over the past few years have all included taking things beyond the established boundaries. Boxes are like challenges for me. I don’t feel confined to certain boundaries…instead, I usually put on my bull horns and say, “Oh, yeah?”
Some of us need to work for someone else. That’s just a fact. I actually like bosses. They help provide structure and give you direction. You can focus on certain tasks instead of having to be everything to everyone. If you’re lucky, and you end up with an amazing boss, then it’s even better. Things could be going crazy around you, but that amazing boss is going to do his or her best to steer the ship in the right direction.
Were you that person who ALWAYS needed to go to the library to study? You couldn’t actually study in your dorm room or lounge? Well, the distractions don’t go away when you’re out of school. Some days, you really need to just get work done! And sometimes, an office or cube is going to be the best place to be. If you’re fortunate, and you have a home office, that might minimize distraction. I know for me, I spend my time in both places. I can get a balance between my creative self and my operational self.
And I love that I have (for the most part) an idea of my working hours. There may be weeks that I feel like I work around the clock, but it’s usually for a pretty important deliverable. I know we’re accomplishing something instead of banging our heads against a wall. But back to working hours. I’m an early bird, and I do work with teams in Europe, so starting at 7:00am fits for me. And then I also know that I’m allowed to end my day. I don’t have to be on call 24hrs. Having the ability to end my day job means I can spend time on the Life part of the Work/Life balance.
Finally, I trust the system. Sure, there are going to be crappy bosses, bad salary packages, frustrating working conditions, and bumps along the way. You’re going to find that no matter what (corporate or not). But there are some companies out there employing hundreds of thousands of people. Not everyone can have the start up or self-employed life, and not everyone wants it…And as we make a turn in this economy, we have to keep giving corporate life a chance.
So if you’re with me, let me hear you!
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February 18, 2010 1:46 pm
Emily, I am SO completely with you! I do find that I'm not entrepreneurial by nature, and enjoy working for bosses [I'm also one of the lucky ones with awesome bosses]. I also think it's a factor of our youth. While, I think I can confidently say I'll never want to start my own business, I know that the structure I get working FOR people is what's right for me right now in the first years of my career.
Thank you so much for this post! I often feel alien in this pool of 20-something, entrepreneurs!
February 18, 2010 2:30 pm
@Rebecca, you know, the strong entrepreneurial spirit is great, but I was feeling alien like you said. I wanted to express that it's ok to be happy in your corporate position. Sure, not everyone gets to have dream jobs right away, but there are things that you can make work for you. And then if you need a change, you make it. Glad you feel a bit more connected!
February 18, 2010 2:41 pm
This sounds a lot like me. I am a neurotic Post-it, highlighting student that needs a separation between my school work and my social life. However, Iwould say that some people might lie between the two ends of the corporate/anti-corporate spectrum. Working in the Brazen Careerist office as an intern is probably as far from a traditional 9-5 job, but I love being here and am learning so much.
To be successful in any atmosphere, I think you need to learn how you can leverage the positives and work on improving the negatives.
Needless to say, I need to study at the library or else I am not productive.
February 18, 2010 2:43 pm
I'm with you. The world doesn't just need entrepreneurs--and entrepreneurs don't just need entrepreneurs, either! After all, who's going to work for them?
There's room for both, and we all have important roles to play. We also all have different priorities, and acting on those is ultimately more productive.
February 18, 2010 3:48 pm
@Zack! Howdy! So, I love lists. I probably have five different ways that I keep lists. And structure helps me "turn off" when needed. Something really worth it when you have a lot going on. And you used the word that I love: spectrum! I actually talked about this with the Ryans before, that here on Brazen there is a spectrum of people. I admit that right now, I'm more pro-corporate because I hated working for myself, but I work for a private company, and that means that I don't have experience at a public, small start up, or federal organization. Like Rebecca above, I was feeling like the needle of the spectrum was pointing to non-corporate. I was actually afraid of commenting sometimes because people would lash out at being anti-gen-y. But there are plenty of people who are pro-corporate. Maybe now I'm adopting that voice. But like most things, our opinions can change. I'm fortunate that I am still positive, but I also know things are totally situational.
@KateNonymous Room for both is so true. That's how we make an ecosystem, and we'll continue to need each other. You need people to challenge to spark innovation, but you may need to figure out how you scale for the world. Challenges and work problems aren't solved by one solution or style alone. Thanks!
February 18, 2010 4:06 pm
While I am a small business owner, I love what you have to say. Corporations have pros and cons, as do small businesses. Knowing what works for you is what's most important.
Sometimes boxes increase our creativity and problem solving!
February 18, 2010 4:24 pm
@Sarah, boxes can really help with increasing creativity. It's like the Kindle: Amazon can't always be the digital reader king. But it took Amazon to even go there, for everyone else to finally jump on board. Now, we have competition driving innovation, and the whole literary world is changing. That's a product example, but Google is an example of a giant company who has broken the typical corporate life box. Smashed it if you will. It's not all bad and it is about knowing what fits for you.
February 18, 2010 6:00 pm
I like boxes inside of boxes, and circles overlapping circles, like a Venn Diagram. What I mean is that I mainly enjoy the corporate side of things, but I also love the freedom and adventure (and challenge) of self-employment (freelancing/consulting) and of being an entrepeneur. They all have their joys and their challenges.
February 18, 2010 6:30 pm
@Stephen, so you make me think of buffets. For when you're feeling healthy, there's the salad bar (if you're good). For a meat lover, the grill. If you're going to really enjoy yourself, the dessert bar. It's all about what you're looking for and making a combination that you'll be happy with. When you overdo it, you might be a little unhappy, but you learn for next time. Sorry, I'm replying while hungry. :)
February 18, 2010 6:32 pm
Sweet Tomatoes is the place to be: wonder what the real world analogy is to that one :)
February 19, 2010 12:58 am
I worked a corporate job for 10 years before I began doing my own freelance work. There were parts I enjoyed, and parts I despised. Now that I'm on my own, there are...parts I enjoy, and parts I despise. That's just life.
February 19, 2010 8:24 am
@Andrew, you hit the nail on the head. No need to say much more!
May 9, 2010 11:47 pm
Vlad and I began our almost nightly walk through Leicester Square at a pace that made turtles look at us and say, “Right on my brothas, right on.”
No agenda. No place to be, and no direction was the right direction.
This exercise was much more difficult than I anticipated. To walk with purpose and direction is simple. You move forward swiftly, with your head up and be ready to dodge and move.business gifts In London that means to watch you do not take an umbrella in the retina.
Vlad had me slow down so that each step would almost fall into the other, like a graceful stumble, with no further purpose but to stay erect(insert childish laugh) and edge forward.
May 10, 2010 7:15 am
Here is my take on the pressure our gen feels to become entrepreneurs..."The 4-hour Work Week and Other Lies."
http://gearsandshifts.com/blog/2010/05/the-4-hour-work-week-and-other-lies/
May 10, 2010 7:20 am
@Sara, I like your post, good stuff!
May 10, 2010 6:53 pm
Is there a BZ network for this? For people who want to get together and talk about corporate life and the workday experience?
May 10, 2010 6:58 pm
Also, I thought Inc. magazine had a great feature this month about the virtual office. The whole editorial staff worked outside the office for one month. Their experiment revealed that the great majority of them thrived in an office/corporate environment. Their routines, social networks, and work/life balance depended on the structure provided by a physical office. Only halfway related to your initial post, but your thoughts about structure and some people's very healthy need for it made me think of it.
July 24, 2010 12:11 am
As a headhunter I met with executives from major Japanese companies and branch managers of fortune 500 companies doing business in Japan. Some companies were great, almost like going to summer camp where you made money instead of lanyards. Others were oppressive overly bureaucratic hell-holes. Funny thing was that it didn't matter whether the company was big or small. It was all about the culture.
I became an entrepreneur because I wanted the freedom to make one of my ideas come to life, not because I disliked corporate culture. When my entrepreneurial adventure is over (if it ever ends) I'll be happy to "go corporate" again.
July 26, 2010 11:02 am
You make some interesting pro-corporate points, Emily. I am wary of the larger-scale problematic issues of corporations, on a political level. The corporate structure does make sense from an operational standpoint, as you mentioned, in its centralization of intelligence and concentration. The other comments speak a lot to corporate culture, which each company must manifest in the most effective way. There is obviously a safety in the corporate world as well, as most companies provide a protective canopy of insurance and investment opportunities for their employees. There will always be subjective pluses and minuses.
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Grad School Zone
UVA (Darden) MBA Admissions Deadlines for 2010-2011
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The University of Virginia's Darden School of Business recently published its application deadlines for the coming admissions season. Here they are, followed by our comments in italics:
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