What's your Office look like?

It probably is. I work in a cube, and an open desk depending on what Im doing and I def prefer cube. Its just weird never having any privacy, you cant even make a phone call or check your online banking, not that anyone really gives a shit, but still.

How many ppl out there listen to their ipod in their cube? When I need to get shit done, I prefer to just listen to my ipod and zone everyone else out unless its important but I rarely see anyone else I work with, with headphones/earbuds on, is it unprofessional?

I have worked in both a cubicle and in a trading style long table with monitors on it. It all depends on the group and bank. There are banks that even have analysts share office (two analysts in an office). Personally I like the cubicle the best, its semi private which allows you space to personalize, but keeps you in the mix with other people.

Either way, I have used headphones all day long. These days most people listen to music for a decent part of the day from MDs on down. Also, Pandora is very popular (free internet radio). As long as when someone yells at you, they can get your attention you're golden.

Agreed that Pandora is very popular - every analyst and associate in my group listens to it. The Music Genome Project is one of the best things to ever happen to banking.

Last summer I had an "open cubicle" - i.e. a cubicle with only waist high (if you're standing up) walls. Lots of desk space, but no privacy at all. Worse yet, it was along a hallway where all the MDs had their offices, so they were constantly walking by and seeing how far I was on my work.

I just tried Pandora, and its blocked. WTH.

I personally love the craziness of a trading desk -- I've had a bunch of different internships some in cubes some on trading desks and I would never trade being on a desk for a cube....I think that most traders/sales would feel the same way -- the atmosphere gets your adrenaline going --- the only draw back is eatting can be difficult

My office has cubes that are big enough to accommodate 4 analysts - each of us has a corner. It's nice because the walls are high, but you don't have that much privacy for phone calls. It doesn't matter what's on your computer screen though, as only the 3 other analysts can see.

The key to privacy is how you position your computer!

Lol, i remember when i interned this past summer...cubicle with 1 other intern...i positioned my computer so when they looked over it would be glare/blank...and also a supervisor can only come from the right side...good times. i watched about 4 movies over the entire summer...sadly, only 4.

ALT+TAB that piece

The bank I was at had the half cubes, too. Once you get past the lack of privacy it's pretty enjoyable if you get along with your fellow analysts. You spend so much time with each other it's not worth hiding anything that's going on in your life, anyways.

Now that I have an office, things are much quieter (and strangely more productive)...

You are going to see more and more banks go to the open-style/lower cubicle office setting. I remember reading an article about this (i think businessweek) where they have done studies that show a fairly significant increase in productivity, teamwork, etc. The higher-ups in my firm (ibanking) decided to try it out with our group/office. All analysts, associates and vp's sit at lower cubicles. MDs are in offices around the outside. Needless to say the VPs were livid. It took some getting used to, but the results have been good. I think it worked well because everyone gets a long well, there are not too many people who take their job too seriously and the general atmosphere is fun and somewhat frat-like. I would guess that the rest of the groups/offices will eventually go the same route we did, it will be interesting to see how it works out.

So the day I got to shadow a couple traders the first thing i realized was that it sounded like a dorm room. AIM doink sounds, people yelling/cussing, the occasional playing of rap songs at random intervals at suprisingly loud levels. And my god the doinks of trades being executed!

We do the open/low cubicle layout, and I think it's great.

It's in the worst position by far... everyone can see what I'm doing on my computer, not a problem at 3 AM like it is currently, but it's embarrassing to be caught reading humor websites and whatnot as assistants walk by.

Personally I want my own office but I have a feeling that won't happen for another 10 years or so...

There was a guy at the place where I interned who had this:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/76ed/

No joke. Dunno if it was the exact device but it was much smoother than the hurried Alt+Tab we are all familiar with and easily recognized...

Pandora is AWESOME.

How does it make money?

I work from home.

That's actually a pretty huge investment. From their board it looks like there are 4 or 5 guys in there.

We have a trading desk setup but with deeper legroom so the 'secretary' can be confortable while she does her thing.

Fuck all that new age blackberry/cubicle shit - it hurts office comradery. Our office is a giant empty room with white walls and cold marble floors. Since there is zero furniture, everyone sits indian-style in a big circle in the middle of the room. We sit naked (on towels, of course, to keep our balls/ginies off the cold marble). Fuck desks; we just kind of spread our shit around on the floor. Need a document? Just pick it the fuck up, it's that easy...we're not contrained by folders and files. We share our work by hand-writing on legal pads and passing it around - why email something when you can hand it to someone? Bathrooms are at the end of the hall - look for the bucket on the ground. Everyone in our office gets along great.

It's funny this topic came up on WSO today.

My office is cubicles and copy/ supply rooms in the middle, and office around the walls. I work in corporate finance by the way. I have a double screen at my cubicle, and my bosses know that I pretty much use one mostly for the internet and one mostly for excel and other MS programs.

I usually have WSO as one of my tabs, but usually have something more "acceptable" showing, such as a news website a more professional looking site.

Today I guess I left the tab with WSO showing and left for the bathroom, and when I came back, my boss called me into his office. He asked me "Are you looking for another job." I said no, kinda confused, and he said that he saw a job search site on my computer.

Apparently he saw the "RECENT JOBS" title and list on the right side of the site, and the titles for a couple job search threads. I brought him over to my cube and showed him the site, and that is was a finance community site.

His actual response was "Ohh, looks kinda lame. You wanna be wall street or something?"

I said "No, I have much better hours here. Those guys are idiots anyway."

No hard feelings guys, but it did diffuse the situation.

Come on, you guys think we don't know you look for other jobs? We just have more privacy, and we don't see many MD postings on efinancialcareers.com when we do it ourselves. If I rush to slam my door shut when I get a call, it's because the call is from a headhunter rather than a client.

I have a printer in my office, but sometimes I'll wander over to the group printer to pick up something that someone else has printed for me. The other day, an associate comes sprinting up to the printer as I walk up. I'm no dummy. I pick up the posting from the Chicago GSB job board, wink and said: "I figure this belongs to you."

At the end of the day, it's just each person making a personal decision about what's right for their career. This isn't the army or the CIA, where you're selling out the country, for crying out loud. I know there are some people who get really worked up and butthurt about people leaving, but for me I think that's a silly perspective.

As for offices, I've seen a variety of layouts for banking, but only a small amount of variation. Analysts are either on the floor in cubes or concentrated in a bullpen. Associates on floor in cubes or doubled up in interior offices. VPs singled in interior offices, usually. D/ED/SVP types either in interior or exterior offices. MDs in outside offices. Group heads and Vice Chairmen in bigger offices, often corners.

Genghis, I would imagine that the smaller the bank the more they might disagree with your view? Especially when it comes to something smaller and more "team oriented", like a startup or an ER team...?