Thinking inside the box

After my masters and before joining for Phd, I spent about three and a half years working for an organization, of which I spent about a couple of years in a cubicle( The rest were spent in lab) . That was a time when I was doing some very interesting work(chip design), and had good co-workers, and yet I wasn't enjoying things very much. For reasons I couldn't fathom then( and partly even now), I developed a strong dislike for cubicles.

For some reason, working in a cubicle always brought to my mind the image of small boy being punished by asking him to stand in the corner of the room facing a wall( which I have not been subjected to;-). The wall was often more interesting than the computer screen, which would busy itself flashing error messages. Its must be cynical/pessimistic men who design operating systems, for they only flash messages of the kind 'Bad command or file name' or 'File not found', and never complimentary pats on the back like 'Bingo ! Cool command ! ' or 'Ask your boss for a raise;You've earned it with this command'.

What surprises me even more is that millions of people, earning very good money, are under they impression that they enjoy a high standard of living, while, in reality, they spend majority of their waking hours in an environment that's devoid of natural light, air and colour. Maybe it doesn't matter to them, and I'm the odd one out:-) I'm the kind of person who'd actually be happier and much more productive if I have a window next to my desk, with some greenery outside ! I think cubicles may give you just a little more privacy than an open setup, but they are likely to create barriers and prevent collaboration, besides of course being bland.

At the end of the day, my take on cubicles is simple - Its hard to think outside the box when you are sitting inside one.  The guy who invented the cubicle, Robert Propst, himself later thought it was a mistake. I have decided that cubicles are not for me, and I'll stay away from them in future. This may seem odd to many, who might consider them merely an inconvenience. Well, I'm different in that sense, and I find that I'm a lot happier when I can see some sunlight, and daydream now and then staring outside a window ! What is freedom, if you can't feel the wind on your face, and some sunlight to brighten your day? I guess freedom means different things to different people!