Things Engineers Like: Casual Dress and Flexibility

Engineers may be the most down-to-Earth people you may ever meet. Especially the ones that have already graduated because that's what college does. College brings the upbeat and arrogant freshmen engineering hopefuls down to the ground level after semester after semester of hard work and lack of sleep. During the late night and early mornings, we learn to dress as comfortable as humanly possible. Dressing in sweats like an athlete warming up is not unusual. For those all nighters in the engineering building, just hope no one notices that you have the same clothes on as the day before. Engineers will complain about pulling an all nighter like a kid getting a cookie, and wearing the same clothes is the cookie (An expired cookie).

After many years of tough assignments and exams, engineers usually see the hard work pay off. The first thing anyone that walks into a place with engineers working will be the dress code. Or the lack of dress code. It's overwhelmingly different from the business world. From my experiences and hearing experiences of others, jeans are worn by the majority of employees. I have yet to wear jeans to work, it's like a challenge on how long you can last. But from other places I have heard of, a collared shirt like a polo is usually required. But the really relaxed workplaces seem to allow t-shirts. No more ties everyday for engineers!

The common perception is the engineers can't dress nicely. I will have to disagree, even though I'm colorblind and probably a terrible dresser. Engineers like to be casual and comfortable. This is how engineers seem to work the best and efficiently. What better why to work than what we're used to (Just like college)? And interaction with other (Which is hard enough for engineers since we have absolutely no social skills) is made easier since clothes people are wearing will not affect us. In the workplace with a casual dress code, personality and emotions can be shown through the attire.

Then as an engineer, you'll probably have a flexible work schedule. Engineers don't seem to be morning people usually. Employers seem to realize this and allow flexible schedules. There are core hours that we should be at work so people can collaborate effectively. But engineers come into work at all hours of the day, 5am, 7:30am, 9am, and 11am. I heard engineers work into the late hours of the night too. As long as the work gets done correctly and timely, it's great. With such a flexible schedule, it's very open to fit the lifestyle you want. The work-life balance is amazing. I work the normal 7:30-4 schedule because I like to have the day start with the sunrise and still have tons of sunlight when I'm done with work.

So if you like the flexible work schedule and a casual dress code, engineering may be for you! But to warn you, it's not the easiest career path to go to. But what's the point of taking the easy path? The challenge is the best part.