Legally kilted

[Alan H]

I come at this from a slightly different angle. Keep in mind that while I have a mortgage, I don't have kids and the Missus is working right now. We're not going to lose the house if I happen to be out of work for a couple of months.

OK, here's my philosophy.....MY philosophy, not necessarily your philosophy. I choose where I work. I'm not going to go work for a financial/investment/venture capital firm. The values system in those places don't align with mine, so I'm just not interested. I'm not going to work in a law firm for the same reason. I'm not knocking people who DO work in those sorts of places, it's just that they're not for me, that's all.

OK, so when I look for work, the process is a mutual interview process. They choose me because they think I'll be able to do what they need to get done. I choose them because I like the people, like the work, the pay is acceptable and the goals of the organization are palatable/desireable to me. They choose me, and I choose them.

And so, nowadays, I don't wear a kilt to interviews, but if the first interview goes well, at the en dof it I tell them that A.) I will be taking off 6 weeks of time without pay in the summer of 1998 (to sail to Hawaii) AND 2.) I will wear a kilt to work 1-2 days a week. That puts those cards on the table, where they are part of the negotiating process. So far, none of the places I've interviewed with the exception of one possibility, have seemed to care about either of them. Certainly everyone expresses mild interest about the kilt and sailing, but doesn't really seem to care very much.

If a place I interviewed did NOT want to allow a kilt, then I wouldn't want to work there. What does it say about the organization if something as inocuous as a kilt is verboten? Why would I want to work there, if I could look for another job for a few weeks, even a couple of months and land myself in a place where I'd be a LOT more likely to be happy?

So what I'd say is if your job is just great in every other way, just that they don't allow kilts, then fine, stick with it. I mean, it's JUST A PIECE OF CLOTHING, not a freakin' religion, right? On the other hand, if the "no kilts" edict is indicative of a mindset/policy stance which affects you in other ways that you don't much like, then maybe it's time for a change in scenery. Your call.