To think you can't really describe someone as 'an office type of person'

[Behindthepaintedgarden]

Someone I know was just discussing two of her nieces who will be leaving school this Summer. She said one of them isn't really 'an office type person' so she won't go in for a career that means working in an office.

Surely that's a bit sweeping? There's a million and one different types of jobs that entail working in an office, requiring a huge variety of skills and talents.

AIBU to think you can't really describe someone in those terms?

Having seen a number of ignorant young relatives reject a host of varied and well-paid careers "because I don't want to work in an office", I think YANBU, OP.

I think it's fair enough if people mean it as in I prefer to be outdoors/working with my hands/working with animals kind of way.

But a lot of people mean it in an 'ooh I'm too quirky and different and arty and speshul to work in an office like ordinary people' which is complete and utter shite. There are tons of artistic, creative, imaginative people working in offices doing jobs that suit their creative personality.

But I think some people have very stereotypical ideas about office work and think it's all people in business suits or pencil skirts beavering away at financial tables and official forms and filing everything away neatly and tidily.
I laughed at the poster who said she couldn't work in an office because she's not 'immaculate' enough. You should see some of the offices and desks around here.

I'm an architect which is fairly creative but does also involve a fair amount of 'office' type work as well.

I much prefer to be outdoors though, going to sites or meeting clients and contractors. If I am in the office for more than a couple of days I start to get twitchy

YABU, to work in an office you need to be organised, punctual, dress smartly, be confident with typing/phones etc. If you have none of those skills then you would not be an office type person.

I don't agree keep. Not all office jobs involve typing and answering phones or require smart clothes.

I can understand what she meant- I'm an "office person"- my husband isn't as he hates writing, using computers etc. He prefers to be out and about, and has always preferred more manual work. I would hate to work outdoors and have no problem with computers etc. It's just down to personality and where your skills lie.

I have no problem with this. It describes DS exactly. The idea of going to the same place each day to do the same sort of thing would be unbearable to him. DD, on the other hand, wouldn't care about the location so long as whatever she was doing while there was interesting and challenging.
Yes, this makes perfect sense to me.

"The idea of going to the same place each day to do the same sort of thing would be unbearable to him." Aw, bless. I think this is what gets people's backs up. Fgs Simon Cowell probably sits in an office much of the time as does Mark Zuckerberg. And most jobs involve some routine. In fact a lot of "outdoorsy" jobs involve a hell of a lot of routine. Try telling animals that you're not a "same place each day doing the same sort of thing" person. They would not be impressed. A tree surgeon deals with, well, trees day in day out and so on and so forth. An actor has to learn endless lines (and in fact is probably mostly in a - gasp - office trying to earn a crust as a normal boring drone).

To be fair clock I am really quite scruffy.

I do realise not all offices are like that but all the ones I've been in are.

I don't have an office job (I do have an office but I never actually go there) and for the most part because my role is not office based I do go somewhere different most days. The work is similar but situations and people are different.

I'd say I am an outdoorsy type but I lean towards high street clothing even so ! Just as well I have an outdoorsy job I guess.

I think you can say that there are people who are 'not office types' but not that someone is 'an office type'. Because there are lots of different office type jobs.

The point is, 18 (I'm assuming the dn is) is a very young age to decide someone who has just left school is not an 'office type'. I am more organised now than when i was at 18, have better social skills, and dress smarter.

It is not a luxury an 18 year should have in today's world. If the mother feels her dd is lacking some essential skills, then she should see about carefully guiding her dc to acquire them. Being organised, dressing suitably for work, dealing with people are life skills usually learnt at home.

Its alright for a 30, 40 yr old after many years of work to say "i don't like office work" that's fair and based on experience. Not so for an 18. I'm wondering what this 18 yr old is going to next? OP did the dm give any hint?

She's too young to make that sort of judgement about her but I know what your neighbour means - I think many people would find an office environment too conformist / constricting / sociable / hierarchical etc. Sure, there are some amazing creative offices out there but most are similar in their set up of desks, computers, colleagues etc plus expectations of working core hours, having a phone etc. I know a few people - particularly academic types - who are used to working completely alone and would really struggle or dislike the sort of social habits and constraints that come with office environments.

omooduduwa has a good point. When you are young you should try stuff out of your comfort zone simply because your experience is limited.

I could say Yes to all of Herrena's list - office and non-office.

I too am laughing at the 'oh he'd hate to have to go to the same place everyday' comment. I think this is what gets people's backs up when people talk about 'office types' or not being a 'nine to five type person'. I really think some people think the only type of work that takes place in an office is secretarial and financial type work, and that everyone who works in an office has structured hours, set routines, and repetitive work. Yes, of course that's true for some office jobs, but there's no typical job based in an office.
Also, a lot of people who 'couldn't' sit in an office, or 'couldn't' work 9-5 often find that when the reality of bills, mortgages and limited opportunities in the field they'd like to work in strike, that yes, actually, they can force themselves to sit at a desk and do a job that mightn't be their first choice of how to fill their days.
There's a lot of people working in offices who probably wouldn't have described themselves as office types. Some people adapt more easily to office life than others, but there's very few people who couldn't work in an office if they had to.

Was there some kind of tone you picked up on that doesn't come across when written down? (e.g. the girl isn't clever enough for an office, or "office people" are boring and the girl is too interesting for that?). If not I think it's a fair observation - maybe she just isn't suited to a sedentary job, or is an introvert and prefers to work alone, or prefers to be outside etc.