Monks,

I actually don't have any problems wearing a suit, indeed I think that under many circumstances it can be a positive bonus. I'll try and outline why I think like this:

1) There's a certain attitude which often prevails among the more manegerial and often less technical group of our coworkers: Anonymous Monk caught some of this in his email above. A suit marks out the professional.

To a large extent, your personal views on this are largely irrelevant (although I certainly try and judge people on the skills they have rather than how they are turned out) because it is their view which matters as people can be frighteningly slow to change their outlook. If your clients or managers want you to project this image or expect a certain type of dress then it is probably a good idea to conform. I would place this under the heading of laziness - give people what they expect and you won't have to fight quite so hard to get your skill level recognised. (Some might put this under the heading of false laziness though - perhaps you should educate them to recognise that dress is irrelevant to your ability to do your job well. Take your pick ;-)

2) In some ways, I find that putting on a suit in the morning is a bit like an actor putting on their costume before a performance: It seems to me a bit like the process of "getting into character", preparing your mind for the day ahead. To ignore this might possible be false impatience - Failing to prepare properly for a day's work.

3) Examine why you dislike wearing a suit (if, indeed, you do.) Is it because you find it uncomfortable? Do you dislike the idea of being associated with the less technical professions? Or is it simply because it is an attitude picked up from the popular technical press both online and off that techies do not wear suits? I would suggest that the first is entirely understandable and acceptable, the second less so and the final of the three is merely an example of false hubris.

As I say, I do not mind wearing a suit and tie (I'm wearing one as I type this) but I'm not wholly a technical worker (some would look at my homenode and who I work for and say that I couldn't be technical at all ;-) but it seems a small price to pay to gain that extra edge when I'm trying to convince a client of my technical competence in a certain arena or of the fact that I've thought out carefully what I'm presenting.

Just my views on this little discussion.

Elgon

Please, if this node offends you, re-read it. Think for a bit. I am almost certainly not trying to offend you. Remember - Please never take anything I do or say seriously.