Pros
There’s an emphasis on teamwork and collaboration in this office and with that they also have a fully open office layout. It’s nice having easy access to everyone, from the engineers to the Level 1 techs, and whenever you’re having any issues or ask a question about a client’s environment the team is all over it and ready to help (sometimes even more help than you would know what to do with… which is great but can be a bit overwhelming right off the bat) Besides not having to deal with cubicles and ugly grey mini-walls, a side bonus of the open layout is the awesome views we get from the top floor (especially of the sunsets now that daylight savings time is gone) More BBQ Please! Every so often we do office-wide team building activities and it’s nice to take a short break to dig into some good food and get a little silly with your coworkers, especially now that we’re branching out from pizza and getting the good stuff brought in… Depending on what your job responsibilities are- if you can make the argument for how it will benefit the company and improve your skills in serving customers, you can pursue certifications through the company, and have those ridiculously expensive test fees covered- which is a game-changer when going after those career builders. I have to say one of my favorite things has been getting to know all of the unusual hobbies that my teammates have! Didn’t even know that boar hunting was a real thing and have been really surprised how many urban farmers we have in the office (loving getting free zucchinis and peppers at work) Throw in a few photographers, golfers and even a dragon boat racer and you start to get the picture… Oh… And Marvel… SO much Marvel… ALL the Marvel- The whole office was counting down the week Captain America: Winter Soldier came out. Anytime a new Marvel or DC movie get announced or a trailer is released, you know what the lunchtime conversation’s gonna be. I think they were talking about having everyone go see Winter Soldier together as the spring team building activity but decided not to when too many techs were seeing it at midnight.
Cons
First off, I love having a view and easy access to everyone but on those days where everyone is on the phone helping a client it gets really LOUD with the open layout. (It's these moments which make me get why cubes became a thing. Curse you stupid pragmatism and cubicles!) Also I know it’s the nature of the best in our industry but on the random days where there’s a tidal wave of tickets and a bunch of the team is out in the field at client sites it can be stressful balancing everything and coordinating speedy responses when you’re suddenly hit with a client on the phone demands urgent help at that exact moment. When they can though, the team is awesome about stepping up when necessary and have definitely been lifesavers more than once! Last thing. The candy bowl and I are fighting. No matter how hard I attack…That sneaky little thing keeps getting filled back up. It’s a love/hate relationship with chocolate tending to win. Still coming to terms with it.