4 ms·
I actually feel pressure to dress down in my role as a SWE: hoodies and jeans seem like the norm, and forget about wearing a suit (lol!) or even a dress shirt.
by epgui 5y ago
I actually feel pressure to dress down in my role as a SWE: hoodies and jeans seem like the norm, and forget about wearing a suit (lol!) or even a dress shirt.
I've found black/grey turtlenecks to be a nice middle ground, and apart from the occasional "one more thing" (Steve Jobs) or Elizabeth Holmes comment, those tend to work well.
- x3iv130f 5y agoBeing well dressed isn't about dressing in fancy or expensive clothes; It's about looking good in clothes.
- dr_dshiv 5y agoSo difficult. Used to be easy. Stopped caring. Want to care. But black tshirts and air force ones are just so easy.
- staindk 5y agoAs long as they fit well you're probably doing perfectly fine.
- leaflets2 5y agoAnd the colors match. Also, remember, don't use more than 2-3 colors ... At least when designing a website?
- kyawzazaw 5y agoIf you are wealthy enough, you can hire a personal stylist. Outsource that work.
- chillacy 5y agoThere’s a status game for streetwear too but afaik it involves rare sneakers with expensive basics.
- throw0101a 5y ago> I actually feel pressure to dress down in my role as a SWE: hoodies and jeans seem like the norm, and forget about wearing a suit (lol!) or even a dress shirt. If Vint Cerf can wear a three-piece suit, so can you! :)
- tomcam 5y agoAgree wholeheartedly
- unixhero 5y agoVint Cerf godfathered the Internet, he is a three piece suit.
- mark_l_watson 5y agoYou are correct! He does dress well and formally. Combined with his friendliness and general cheerfulness, he makes a great impression. At two consecutive remote jobs with a lot of zoom time, I had the habit of wearing Tommy Bahama shirts - these are Hawaiian style shirts (or some of them are) that are expensive and perfectly made (e.g., the pattern matches perfectly on both sides of the buttons). My wife made sure I had a diverse collection.
- sk1pper 5y agoMe too. If I wear a simple blue button down, there’s a 100% chance it gets commented on. And I work full time remote… I feel like if I wore that to a software engineering interview I’d run the risk of being judged as just not really getting the culture.
- 8n4vidtmkvmk 5y agolol, i think that's why i failed my first interview or two. dressed down for my last one and got hired no problem
- epgui 5y agoAm I the only person who thinks it’s very plausible that that was indeed a factor, and also that it’s crazy for that to be the case?
- JackMorgan 5y agoI've been directly and loudly laughed at by a room of engineers for wearing a suit to an interview. People often get their hackles up about it, but we have a dress code as strict as any 1960s office, it's just a different set of clothes.
- kbrannigan 5y agoWow you're right! It's like an informal dress code. As I get older I found the nicer fabrics and older style more fitting. The ritual of steaming, prepping while listening to podcast is great.
- noisy_boy 5y agoThe suited look is usually common among management and that layer usually isn't highly respected by engineers. So that brings a bit of negative perception by association.
- 5y ago
- ffhhj 5y ago> black/grey turtlenecks Jobs bought lots of them for everyone at Apple to wear, nobody accepted, and he kept them for himself.
- ZeroGravitas 5y agoI dont know if this is a joke or an actual thing he did, but there is a story that he came back from visiting Sony in Japan with the idea that Apple employees should have a uniform, like some kind of Bond villain.
- lliamander 5y agoKnitwear in general (sweatshirts, cardigans, sweaters, even t-shirts) is a good fit for the tech office because it is the quintessential casual-yet-refined garment. I've experimented with different types. Dark jeans can be fairly dressed up, but chinos are also a good option.
- screye 5y agoYou can always go hipster. 'Finance-bro' well dressed may be harder to pull off in tech. But, 'thrift store cashier' well dressed is very doable. East-Asian fashionable is also totally fine.
- lambdasquirrel 5y agoWell the flip side is that when we want to dress nice, it's because we like to be dandy going to a concert, and aren't trying to compete with coworkers or anyone else.
- MajorBee 5y agoThis is quite common for women in tech (particularly engineering), I've heard. If you look "too attractive" as a female engineer, you'd more likely not be taken seriously, not to mention attract unwanted attention by being a woman in a male-dominated field. At the end of the day, every group of people -- all the way from ethno-national levels to your particular niche in industry -- have their social signalling implements, and clothing/appearance happens to be a very common implement.