Starting a corporate job at 28 any advice ?

[tomdiginson]

why is it such a big deal though?

if i can do my job and go home why does it matter whats on my head?

I've met a couple people with natural locs in the corporate world and some of them are in positions of power. Can it hold you back and hinder you ? Yes, but thats up to you if it's worth it. I

 

[6pac]

I've met a couple people with natural locs in the corporate world and some of them are in positions of power. Can it hold you back and hinder you ? Yes, but thats up to you if it's worth it. I

why would you say it hinders you? in your opinion/observation.

and does job type matter? i want to go in the branding/marketing/pr direction.

 

[antidope]

Same reason why the woman with the blue hair isn't getting hired you're not getting hired for the dreads.

Should go without saying but people of colour don't discuss racial climate at work. Two times this week I just got up and left my desk.

 

[slighted]

Should go without saying but people of colour don't discuss racial climate at work. Two times this week I just got up and left my desk.

Was at a happy hour. Discussion got really political at 1AM and the super conservative support was in full force.

I just stayed quiet and observed. Alcohol brings out the truth.

 

[HellaSteph]

9.5 years in tech/corp tech here. I worked mostly with engineers, operations, product, and the executive team. Here's my take away as a 20-something woman in the field, but I'm soon-to-be 33:

- If you draw attention to yourself, you'll get it all: good and bad.
- Office politics is a game. Don't associate yourself with those who are only in your immediate team/group, expand outside and network so you have a firm understanding what happens around the entire company.
- Stay alert. Never, ever let your guard down. Your co-workers are not your friends/homies. Everything can be taken out of context, no matter the casualness.
- Remember that as much as you'll be loyal to your job, team, company, etc. When the time comes, your company owes you no loyalty.
- Find a mentor that is NOT your boss. You would be surprised what you can learn when it's someone you're not directly being managed by.
- Put forward your best foot, effort, practices. When your work quality shines, so do you!
- Document everything in writing, specifically through email. Never trust someone's word over written communication. The point isn't just for you to learn but to cover yourself in case someone thinks they can pull a fast one.
- Happy hours are fine to attend but the rules of engagement are the same as work: don't do anything you would at happy hour (i.e. take shots) if you don't want it to be known/talked about at work.
- Always take your breaks/lunch/time-off. Do not use the excuse that there's always work to be done.
- Burnout is real. The first sign of burn out is: the level of stress and overwhelming anxiety doesn't go away when you're off the clock. Take resolve and do not let yourself get to that point. The recovery from burnout is worst than just preventing it.
- Ask for help or ask questions. When I was a young buck, I thought I could show the higher ups that I was boss material by doing it all by myself. I was very wrong. I made more mistakes, wasted more time, and did worst by not asking for the help I needed in the first place! Put your ego at the door because everyone needs to learn in the beginning.
- If you find yourself around scandalous / negative folks, keep them close. Watch their body language, what they say and how they act. If they stab someone around you, they will do it to you, too.
- Never be afraid to ask for what you deserve. Women in particular do not ask for raises/promotions as often but we deserve them just as much as the next person who does their job well.
- If/when you get to be a boss or manger one day, pay it forward.
- Remember that there are multiple leadership styles. The difference between a good boss and a bad boss is accountability. If he/she cannot admit they made a mistake, they're unlikely to want to change what they're doing.

Best of luck to you at your new gig!

 

[tomdiginson]

why would you say it hinders you? in your opinion/observation.

and does job type matter? i want to go in the branding/marketing/pr direction.

Same reason why the woman with the blue hair isn't getting hired you're not getting hired for the dreads.

Should go without saying but people of colour don't discuss racial climate at work. Two times this week I just got up and left my desk.

Lol waht ?


I wouldn't compare it to the women with blue hair cause to me that's just straight foolishness. For me to see a grown *** women in her mid 20's going 30's, hell even 40's and 50's with blue hair just astounds me. Can't take them serious. As a black man with dreads in the corporate world, I was and am still able to navigate and make moves. At times, do I feel as if I'm held back ? Yes. Do I think my hair is potential cause ? I feel as if it's a contribution, the other being that I'm black, however, I say f it and bring it on. It is what it is unfortunately. As for the discussion of racial climate at work ? That all depends.

 

[VARNELL HILL]

I haven't read through most of this thread yet...but I'm sure someone has mentioned black men are under a different set of rules than anyone in corporate America. Especially if you match the one of the Black Male archetypes that aren't deemed "safe".

Every time you walk through those doors...you are behind enemy lines. Stay on point. You have no friends. Only colleagues. I know others may disagree...but I STRONGLY recommend not ****ting where you eat. IDC how fine she is.

why would you say it hinders you? in your opinion/observation.

and does job type matter? i want to go in the branding/marketing/pr direction.

I really don't think it matters MUCH for Generation Z moving forward. Millennial workspace culture is a bit different than typical corporate america when it comes to creative industries. I worked at one of the top UI/UX companies in the US at HUGE and the place was dominated by people with "different" hairstyles, tattoos, piercings, etc.

If you try to get a job in branding/marketing at say...CNN...now that might be a little different versus trying to get the same position at a Nike or Apple. Certain industries are ahead of the curve when it comes to establishing a modern office culture.

 

[6pac]

Same reason why the woman with the blue hair isn't getting hired you're not getting hired for the dreads.

I guess I see what you're trying to say but I literally haven't done anything to my hair for the past year and a half except get it temp faded, wash it and rub cantu products in it when I wake up. How is my natural hair growth the same as some chick going and dying her hair blue

 

[OBAMA]

get high and drunk on your lunch breaks. if you think youre too ****ed up just wait an extra hour before you go back to work

 

[antidope]

Yeah the blue hair is a wild extreme

 

[jewseejay]

Lot of good advice in here. I'm 33 now and I have been working in Corporate since i graduated college at 22. I'll just quickly throw in my 2 cents.

People think working in corporate is like the evil empire. And it definitely isn't for everyone. However, there are a tremendous amount of benefits, especially in regards to resume building and learning. You get back what you put in as long as you work hard towards it. I started out as a basic analyst and worked my way up the ladder through self learning and networking with good managers. Today, I hold a very strong position that manages the entire US and am about 5 years away from being a vice president. In addition, good companies are very generous in terms of benefits and such. I'm going to be doing my MBA program in the fall which my company will be paying for. Health benefits are very good, 401k obviously. My retirement outlook is looking very strong. And lots of company perks.

And it's not like you're locked in an office from 9-5 that most people perceive it to be. As long as you have good managers, they understand your personal life. Sometimes, I'll need to step away to handle personal business and they are absolutely fine with that (doesn't cut into my personal vacation time). I've been fortunate enough to where my companies have compensated me very well for salary to where I own a few homes and cars now. In a nutshell, I'm living a pretty comfortable life at the moment through my hard work at corporate jobs.

In Summary: make sure you take advantage of the opportunity, show willingness to learn and better yourself for your position, company and just yourself in life. In corporate jobs, you have an opportunity to learn A LOT. And make sure you network with the right people because it will pay dividends in the end. If you do all these things, it will work out in the end.

bruh u dont have your MBa yet and your 5 years from VP. your white or your lying?

 

[antidope]

VP means different things at different places. At my firm literally anyone can become a VP. It's just a title. Doesn't really signify being in charge of something.

The way he phrased that post implies otherwise but I just wanted to offer perspective.

 

[buddhashark]

Someone said it but networking is key; both up and down the ladder. There are ways to show your value to the company beyond your day-to-day work. Usually only your direct supervisor and a few peers will really know the quality of work you do and if your supervisor isn't a good advocate for you it won't get you anywhere. Interact with upper management as much as possible. You can impress someone with a simple conversation. Also interact with those under you and your peers (who one day could be under you). If you become a manager you want to have the trust of your people, not their envy. Use corporate social events to your advantage, especially if alcohol is involved. You'll find out more than you would ever want to about the company once the juices start flowing. Get loose yourself but know your limits.

Once you've built a reputation for good work be vocal about things that need to improve in the company; but do so without sounding like you're complaining. Don't ever assume anything. Some things that aren't going right could be just because of plain stupidity or they could be for a real reason that you just don't know. Do your own research on problems and ask pointed questions. Respect the chain of command but don't be limited to it. When you bring up issues with your superiors, always be prepared to explain why it's an issue and offer a solution. You'll find that often management isn't as oblivious to issues as you think they are; they just don't know how to solve them.

Never tell anyone outside of the family what you're thinking. You'll have to open up to people to get them to trust you and open up to you but you don't have to tell them how you really feel. Knowledge is power. Always get more than you give in any interaction whenever possible.

 

[titang545]

Limit the happy hours. If you do go, watch what you say and do off the clock. People will use that against you.

Always go to the happy hours and socialize, but if you do drink have it early and cut yourself off. That way you aren't too inebriated and you can watch the foolishness ensue. Always somebody who doesn't know their limit.

why is it such a big deal though?
if i can do my job and go home why does it matter whats on my head?

It really isn't a big deal, but I think because I don't know for sure but corporate companies don't like the "look" it brings. I have a full beard right now, however, if I was interviewing I would certainly trim it down a bit. I am with you, what is on your head shouldn't matter as much as what is "in" your head. I saw your post about the field you want to go into, it probably won't be a big deal because if you can't brand/market yourself how will you market my product. As I don't know your fits you can't let your dreads define your style, your style needs to be accentuated by your dreads, if that makes sense.

 

[HellaSteph]

LOL! I am pretty tatted up (including one visible one on my neck), have visible piercings but don't have wild, colored hair. My boss at my job had knuckle and neck tattoos. Full disclosure: everyone is considered here in San Francisco. We're not afraid of being who we are to be qualified to do the job. I understand that this is not the case elsewhere.

Needless to say, engineers and developers are treated like 1st class citizens. Most of them wear very casual clothes to work (sweat pants anyone!?) and no one says anything.

And VP doesn't mean anything at certain companies. It's just a title. In bigger corps, yes, much more authority/power. I've learned that title means little if people around you don't respect you.

 

[Fozz]

LOL! I am pretty tatted up (including one visible one on my neck), have visible piercings but don't have wild, colored hair. My boss at my job had knuckle and neck tattoos. Full disclosure: everyone is considered here in San Francisco. We're not afraid of being who we are to be qualified to do the job. I understand that this is not the case elsewhere.

Needless to say, engineers and developers are treated like 1st class citizens. Most of them wear very casual clothes to work (sweat pants anyone!?) and no one says anything.

And VP doesn't mean anything at certain companies. It's just a title. In bigger corps, yes, much more authority/power. I've learned that title means little if people around you don't respect you.

This is what I miss about working in SF.

Hopefully I can find a opportunity there in the near future. It's tough being caught in the middle of generations in a work place lol.

 

[HellaSteph]

Hopefully I can find a opportunity there in the near future. It's tough being caught in the middle of generations in a work place lol.

This. I've been caught in the middle of generations and it's rough. Even at my last company, the older, top level members were "hippies" or "hipsters" for their age. They liked doing/being around the younger crowd.

NT's CA office is right outside of SF. We aren't too far away from all the buzz there. It's fun to visit but we save it for special occasions. We work better when we're not surrounded by amazing food and all the fun stuff in SF.

 

[mryolo]

don't sleep with your boss, regardless how hot she be