Mark Wagner - Yet Another Blog

I’m 24 and work at a large corporation as part of a larger IT support group. I’ve sat in a gray/white cubicle, participated in those meaningless meetings mandated from the “higher ups” and signed dozens of birthday cards for people that I rarely ever speak to for over 2 years now. Based on my experiences with my own job and observing the work habits/behavior of other employees in their 20’s and as well as employees who I will refer to as older employees (30’s and 40’s), I thought I’d take a little time to blog about my thoughts on what I refer to as the corporate age divide.

To be completely straight forward and probably contrary to what some older people think, from my experience of observing people their 20’s is that they almost universally are much harder workers, better dressed, more technical, and more inclined toward upward mobility than most workers of other age groups. I don’t know if it is a declared problem (or even looked at as a problem) but there is no doubt that this corporate age divide exists and if these corporations don’t start addressing the problem they will start seeing a drop in new hires of people in their 20’s and the age gap of workers continue to widen. The fact of the matter is that workers right out of college regularly work circles around the established employees they’re supposed to be learning from.

Continue reading ‘The Corporate Age Divide’

Well, in case you were wondering what 4 years of an unhealthy eating and no exercise did to a human, you can stop wondering because I did it.

I think the worst thing about getting fat is not the getting fat part, but the transition people who rarely see you miss. I mean, I do think I’m a decent looking guy. I’m no Tom Welling (so dreamy) but you know what I’m getting it. If I shave, do my hair, and but on a nice shirt I don’t look half bad, despite the weight. I know I’d look better if I lost some weight, but overall I wouldn’t classify myself as an “ugly fat guy” (yet!).

Let me explain..

Continue reading ‘Getting Fat’

If you know me, you’ve known that I’ve been slowing going gray for ages. My sister, while worrying about her gray hair, was the first to point out my first gray hairs on the back of my head when I was 14-15. I didn’t think much of it. Now that almost 10 years have passed, it is a different story. Also, for a quick background on my family tree, I guess my Grandpa on my Dad’s side was fully gray at 18, and my dad started going gray when he was in his early 30’s. I have no chance.

The worst part about going gray isn’t when you meet someone for the first time and they are looking at the sides of your head, or it isn’t having a young looking face with gray hair, it’s when I ever get a haircut, every single time the following is exchanged between myself and the hair dresser.

Hair Dresser: Wow, you are really gray. How old are you?
Me: I’m 23 (never will I live to see 24 the way things are going.. Coolio?)
Hair Dresser: Really? That’s so young to be so gray!
Me: Yeah, well my Dad went gray early and my Grandpa even earlier than that.
Hair Dresser: Oh wow, well it doesn’t look bad at all.
Me: I’d rather be going gray than going bald
Both: lol!

And that is how it goes, each and everytime. For awhile, I tried to hide my gray hair. In college, I used to get it cut and dyed. It looked good, but it was weird to look into the mirror and not see any gray hair. After I moved away, I stopped dying my hair. It costs way too much, and I wasn’t going to do it by myself. So I’ve left it.

Every time I get my haircut, more and more gray hair slides down the haircut bib. I got my haircut yesterday, and for the first time it seemed as if more gray was being cut off than brown. But what can I do? I can dye it again, or I can embrace it and not try to fight it.

Who do I use as inspiration?

I think I’m on my own with this one.