> As a positive, if I were 20 years older I'd probably have started working in cubicles, which have all the negatives of an open office but without any natural

> As a positive, if I were 20 years older I'd probably have started working in cubicles, which have all the negatives of an open office but without any natural sunlight. Having worked in an environment that was essentially 'medium sized rooms with sizable cubicles', I would MUCH prefer that over open-office. In one environment I found particularly effective, cubicles were about 2m x 2m, with separator walls that were around 1.5m tall. This was great for reducing chatter and visual distraction, and offering a modicum of privacy, but readily enabled 'gophering' discussions and impromptu technical discussions. The cubicle walls allowed just enough friction to noticeably minimize social chatter while not preventing fruitful organic discussions. Granted, this was in a nice building, with tons of windows and natural light. On the other end, I've worked in a cubicle-farm call center that had 'cubicles' that were really just shoulder-width dividers on long tables, all crammed into deep, dark cavernous office space. Having only suffered temporary exposure to open office environments, still not sure which I'd pick if given the choice, but it was definitely not a pleasant work experience/environment. Guess point being, not all cubicles/cubicle environments are created equally, so at least for me, preferences are about more than just seating arrangement.