The Discarded Tie

As I walked to work yesterday, I spotted a blue tie in the gutter. It had graphics of pancakes, eggs and toast on it. I wondered if somebody had gotten fed up wearing it and had tossed it aside in disgust.

Anyway, it got me thinking about the day I will finally succumb to wearing the standard shirt and tie, like so many of the engineers and architects do in our office. To them, it represents competence and professionalism. To me, it only symbolizes conformity.

I'm sure my life would be easier if I fashionably fell in line, but I can't bring myself to do it. I still associate the clothing with an older generation, my parents' generation. I associate it too closely with the image of a typical engineer and I really don't feel like fitting the profile.

My coworkers and supervisors probably believe my casual attire is just a phase. I don’t think so, but we'll see how long it is before I surrender to the system and wear more upwardly mobile apparel.