# Who here has a private office, versus who here works in a cubicle? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2002, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555 "2002-06-05T22:44:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/21 "2002-06-06T03:57:49Z")
I’ve, uh, got a bicycle. At least the view’s good. And my Brooks Professional saddle is nicely molded to the shape of my ass. **samclem** - you work indoors? I’d kill to have a roof over my head. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/22 "2002-06-06T03:59:56Z")
I work in an 8’ x 10’ cubicle, which I don’t mind. It’s spacious enough for the work that I do. It sure beats standing for eight hours a day (or more) like I did at my previous jobs. Just having an office job is a good thing to me. The cubicle walls are high enough that we all have some privacy, and I don’t get pestered by too many co-workers passing by. ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/23 "2002-06-06T04:13:38Z")
I work in an officicle. Actually, it’s a window office without a door. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Harvey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@Max\_Harvey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Harvey)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/24 "2002-06-06T04:15:26Z")
I have a fairly large cubicle, with 6’ walls and only one (very easy-going) co-worker to my left. Unfortunately the building is an absolute dump, and is approximately 20 feet away from a busy four-lane street. I would hate a private office. Too isolated. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/25 "2002-06-06T04:20:23Z")
Another Fed worker checking in. Cubicle, which is better than the rows of desks we used to have. Now if I could just soundproof it so I didn’t have to listen to everyone else discussing their kids, the soaps, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/26 "2002-06-06T04:41:24Z")
Cublicle? I’d kill for a cubicle. Open-plan office with the Chairman sitting right behind me. Truth be told, it’s not nearly as bad as I make it sound. ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/27 "2002-06-06T04:44:21Z")
Private industry, software, office with a door and window, which I’ve had since I started with the company (12 years ago). But, I’m in a sysadmin/DBA role, so the closest work spaces to the computer room are offices. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/28 "2002-06-06T05:37:08Z")
Office. Comfy chair. Picture window. View of: grass, trees, flowers. I work at a University. Life is good. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/29 "2002-06-06T05:45:15Z")
Private office. Decent size, big window. I’ve slept in it before. I draw huge pictures and write stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/30 "2002-06-06T06:03:58Z")
Private office, executive washroom, the boss takes me to lunch AND dinner quite frequently, and I have him wrapped around my little finger. okay, so it’s a home office and I do bookwork for my husband. Four years ago when I worked as a customer service manager for the SouthEast Territory, I had a private office with 4 floor to ceiling windows over-looking over a lovely parking lot. ---
**Author:** ![Coil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Coil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coil)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/31 "2002-06-06T07:51:44Z")
Office _gets a ruler to measure_, 7x13 feet. I have a window but no real door. The entire wall towards the corridor is glass so people can look in on me when they pass by. I work in a small (45 people) private consulting firm as an economist. We do not have any formal levels (everyone is a consultant) but I am fairly young and have only worked here for 1.5 years so I guess I am a junior. Right now everyone at our company has an office similar to mine. We are moving in September though and then it will be cubicles (or landscape offices as they are called here) despite protests from a lot of the staff. If I don´t find a new job with an office I am going to fight for a place in a corner and have high bookshelves around me so I can get some privacy. ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/32 "2002-06-06T10:53:09Z")
Well, I work in a kitchen, but I basically have my own little section in the kitchen where I’ve got my space. I’m also right at the back door that is usually kept open, and I get the sea breeze coming in (the restaurant is 4 blocks from the beach). ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/33 "2002-06-06T10:57:46Z")
Office, it’s actually a 2 person office that I have all to myself. There’s a desk on the other side of the room that is empty, I just dump my junk on there. One wall is all windows, looking out on a courtyard, so I pretty much see the other building, but there are trees and stuff to look at too, and lots of sun for my plants. I work for an IT company, in Finance, been there 5 years. Senior people tend to get the window offices, though some of it is the luck of the draw. The guy next to me has pretty much the same office style as me, but is decidedly less senior, and some people who are more senior than me have lousy inside offices. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/34 "2002-06-06T11:11:15Z")
you know, usually I turn down an office so i know what is going on. Of course, I spent years on an investment bank trading floor where I “owned” about 3 feet of countertop, several monitors, a PC and a single file cabinet. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/35 "2002-06-06T12:23:44Z")
How I dream of a cubicle, with walls to call my own… open-plan office, rather cramped; if I lean back in my chair, my head hits the back of my boss’s monitor. Worst thing is, it’s an _improvement_; at my last job, I was in a cramped open-plan office, sharing a desk. It just goes to show how you can forge ahead, develop your career, and reap the rewards of today’s meritocratic society. I think. ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Fluffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/36 "2002-06-06T12:39:48Z")
I’m the Office Manager at a section 8 apartment complex and I have my own private office. The only other coworker I have to deal with is my maintenance man and company supervisor who only comes to the site once a month if I’m lucky! I pretty much decorate the way I want within reason. It’s kind of like my own little apartment! But what’s really great is that I don’t have a lot of people in and out of here. Just the occasional applicant. It’s pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/37 "2002-06-06T13:00:57Z")
I have my own office, with a door. I work in Manhattan on 50th st and my window faces south so I see a lot of tall hotels and I can still see a tiny sliver of the Hudson river. (River View!) Sometimes I get to see **Vix** on the street at lunch. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/38 "2002-06-06T13:08:21Z")
I’m so jealous of most of you. I’m a highly paid engineer who get to share a roughly 12’ x 16’ cube with three other people. My personal work surface is a corner computer table and a four foot long table surface. Our stupid cube walls are only four foot high to maximize the distraction of guys going into the men’s room located conveniently on the other side of my wall (still a long walk for me). Right now I have a computer on my desk, but my manager is planning on yanking it so that there will be roughly one computer for every three engineers (that ratio looks great on his overhead budget). Our office furniture is a mismatched collection of circa 1970s stuff. I have to beg our department secretary for mechnical pencil leads. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/39 "2002-06-06T13:35:37Z")
In grad school I shared an office. This was the case through several moves and changes of department, even Universities. My last grad school office would have had a killed view of Salt Lake City if some idiot hadn’t put a building up between me and it. first job after grad school: indoor office. Shared. second job: not even a cubicle – I got a desk in an engineer’s “bullpen”. But at least there was a window I could look out of. Gradually a cubicle formed around me – no joke. First I got a cubicle back behind my desk, with little side thingies, but not a complete cubicle, since it onlt enclosed my desk. Then I got a cubicle (although I could still see the window, at least). Present job: Office. With a door. And two windows that look out on a mill pond. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2002, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555/40 "2002-06-06T13:44:12Z")
Well, I’m at work now and I just counted the ceiling tiles to discover that this is a 15’ x 16’ office, with a door. But I’ve _never_ closed that door. The only time a door gets closed around here is when some serious ass-chewing is being conducted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-here-has-a-private-office-versus-who-here-works-in-a-cubicle/112555.md?page=3)