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Does tech discriminate against suits?

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Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#11

Post by tikhonj »

To answer the question: maybe, somewhat? There's a pretty big difference between that and an actual dress code though, which is far worse. Wearing a suit at a tech company might draw a few weird glances or comments, but it won't get you fired outright. Wearing casual clothes at a bank will.

The fact that the culture isn't absolutely, consistently accepting is unfortunate, but it's much better than what came before.

I'm sure a bias exists, but it's subtle. It's the sort of thing that if you expect, you'll see more.

> They smile when the quirky and brilliant hacker wears pajamas and rollerblades to the office, but when they meet the coder in a suit, their polite expressions falter for a second.

Polite expressions faltering? That's the sort of thing you'll find if you're looking for it, whether it's there or not. A person wearing pajamas would have a larger effect in absolute terms; the difference is relative: a tech company would be more accepting of pajamas than you'd expect and less so of suits.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#12

Post by Kalium »

scrumper wrote: post #6

Being a meekly frustrated warrior like many modern men, I sometimes imagine the process of putting a suit on in the morning as akin to donning chain mail and plate armor before a battle. Certainly it helps me get in the right frame of mind for the day, and when I get home the kids know I'll need to swap it for 'play clothes' before I'll roll around on the floor with them. I've worn a suit everywhere I've worked, even…

With the advent of Indochino, Proper Suit, Black Lapel, Dragon Inside, and more it's possible to get the Hong Kong tailor experience without having to find one of those scheduled to stop near you. Indochino and Proper Suit have storefronts in SF.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#13

Post by btbuildem »

cballard wrote: post #8

> As long as I can remember my father would work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, wearing a suit to the office. I’ve always wanted to follow his example. What!? This is not something to be admired!

How is that different from a stereotypical startup work week?

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#14

Post by linkregister »

gloves wrote: post #2

It's funny - IMHO the Hoodie Uniform was developed because people didn't seem to care about fashion or the clothes they were wearing - the stereotypical devs. I can also see how this has come full circle now though, as I think to my own office and if anyone did come in a suit, they would stick out like a sore thumb. On one level, it seems to be a shame - suits do show a kind of respect or reverence for the place of w…

It seems the way to wear dress clothes in the startup/tech environment is not to wear a simple two-piece suit. The folks in my office that get away with business attire wear more stylish items such as vests paired with unmatching slacks, coupled with a bold-print shirt. These kinds of looks look way more difficult to create than going to Brooks Brothers and asking for two suits.

One legitimate reason why I would expect suit-wearers to be challenged is the fear of formal wear being required in the office.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#15

Post by btbuildem »

I like to wear my suit to work a few times per year, just on random days. I've been approached by higher ups more than once with the question "Are you interviewing somewhere else?" First time I got a kick out of it, but after reflecting decided that it was a good way to send a subtle message now and then.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#16

Post by scrumper »

Kalium wrote: post #12
scrumper wrote: post #6

Being a meekly frustrated warrior like many modern men, I sometimes imagine the process of putting a suit on in the morning as akin to donning chain mail and plate armor before a battle. Certainly it helps me get in the right frame of mind for the day, and when I get home the kids know I'll need to swap it for 'play clothes' before I'll roll around on the floor with them. I've worn a suit everywhere I've worked, even…

With the advent of Indochino, Proper Suit, Black Lapel, Dragon Inside, and more it's possible to get the Hong Kong tailor experience without having to find one of those scheduled to stop near you. Indochino and Proper Suit have storefronts in SF.

Ah true but part of the fun for OP will be having a smiling gentleman fondle his inside leg in an anonymous hotel suite. No app can reproduce that.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#17

Post by rm_-rf_slash »

I think the problem is that most developers tend to be the nerdy types who didn't care much for fashion as a kid, or have the money in college to look good. Now they're in the workforce and they feel validated for dressing like shit: hoodies and pajamas are cute every once in a while but seriously, grow up and dress yourself like you're gonna get laid one of these days.

The way I see it, if you code, chances are you've got some coin. Find a look that matches your personality and stick to it. Plaid? Go for it. All black? Can't hurt. Vest and tie? Lookin' good. It doesn't have to be perfect, just wear what works. And for the love of God, even if you wear college clothes for the rest of your life, invest in a decent pair of shoes.

Ironically, the root of a lot of hacker culture is non-conformity. Jeans and a hoodie are a conformist statement if everyone else does it, whether you like it or not. And ask yourself why comfy clothing that can be slept in is promoted in work environments that prefer you to always be at the office.

My rule of thumb: dress the way you'd like to be seen by someone you want hiring or sleeping with you.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#18

Post by Kalium »

btbuildem wrote: post #15

I like to wear my suit to work a few times per year, just on random days. I've been approached by higher ups more than once with the question "Are you interviewing somewhere else?" First time I got a kick out of it, but after reflecting decided that it was a good way to send a subtle message now and then.

I wear a suit every Friday. People definitely notice. It helps that I sit directly along the path between the entrance and the main work area in the main SF office.

(And several coworkers probably suspect who I am. Hi!)

It's prompted a fair number of wisecracks, but people seemed to have warmed to the idea that implicit dress codes don't need to be strict.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#19

Post by Kalium »

scrumper wrote: post #16
Kalium wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the advent of Indochino, Proper Suit, Black Lapel, Dragon Inside, and more it's possible to get the Hong Kong tailor experience without having to find one of those scheduled to stop near you. Indochino and Proper Suit have storefronts in SF.

Ah true but part of the fun for OP will be having a smiling gentleman fondle his inside leg in an anonymous hotel suite. No app can reproduce that.

For that, there's always Craigslist!

Slightly more seriously, the Indochino storefront has you covered on that front.

Re: Does tech discriminate against suits?

#20

Post by JorgeGT »

scrumper wrote: post #9
yarrel wrote: post #7

Hello privilege assertion.

Is that a kind of privilege escalation?

Yes, of the social engineering class. Really dangerous if you substitute the suit with a hard hat and a paperclip - access is granted to virtually all physical infrastructure.
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