DumbFunnery

Corporate Brad

I’m a software engineer and working for a company. I haven’t been working for very long, I’ve only graduated college about three years ago.

But, I can see that it’s happening.

I’m turning into Corporate Brad.

(I got into a program with my company which is quite nice for my “career” – you see, I’m still not SO corporate that I sincerely say career, I’m cool-non-corporate-guy enough to say “career.” What’s the over/under for the number of years til I say career?)

My sister has been working longer than I have, but in an environment that is quite different from your average corporate setting. She is a good reality check for when I bring home corporate humor. Though it can be harsh.

I’ll call her and tell her a funny little thing that happened, and she’ll say, without humor, but still trying to be nice, “that’s funny.” Or maybe I’ll disguise the story by saying ‘this is funny in a dorky corporate way’ and then I’ll say it – but she knows, she knows that I find it genuinely funny. For those stories she’ll usually listen attentively, and then say, “boooooooo!”

I don’t want to have corporate guy humor. I don’t want to crack the obvious joke, and then crack up the loudest at my own joke, while looking around the room. I complain about my jokes failing and being sometimes too bizarre, (everyone has those certain things that, for whatever reason, they find hysterical even though no one else does … I feel like I have a LOT of those things) but I still like my humor the way it is.

Lately I’ve noticed a recurring trend in corporate humor temptations.

People will email a group that I am on and say one or two things, and then close with, “thoughts?” Or, they’ll just send an attachment and the only word in the email is “thoughts?” When I got those the temptation is even stronger.

“No,” I want to write back, and include a picture of me chewing hay (the internal symbol for I’m not a fan of thinking).

I can see the change coming, going from Brad to Corporate Brad, I just hope I get a fat pay raise and Bob’s old office (Bob’s old office is bigger than MY office!).