Should I work at Verizon?

[hammertime]

I was at a career fair at my school today and Verizon Wireless was one of the companies that was tabling. I talked to their representative and found out that they have a program designed specifically for graduates in my major (I'll be graduating in December). The representative gave me a few fliers detailing the online application process and the job, but he also gave me his business card and told me to e-mail him my resume after applying online.

Now, I'm pretty excited, but I feel a bit conflicted. This may seem stupid, but here goes. I'm not a very politically passionate guy, but I think that these tea-baggers are batshit insane. What does this have to do with Verizon Wireless? Well, it turns out that the company sponsored one of those rallies in West Virginia, a rally which Sean Hannity and Ted Nugent (both of whom I think are, as I said before, batshit insane) attended. The CEO of the company later apologized, but I still feel uncomfortable. I know that pretty much every big company in the world is a soulless behemoth operating out of a death star, but I can't help but feel that, if I ended up taking the job (assuming it was offered to me), I'd be somehow endorsing the views of Sean Hannity.

Disclaimer: I said it before, but you can never say it too many times. Sean Hannity is batshit insane.

[lisab]

Hey hammertime.

This is a really good question, but know one thing about sponsorships: these decisions are made by marketers, to leverage the dollars they spend there into new customers. Every successful company does this; it's really a cold calculation. Perhaps they see a population that is under served and they're trying to get a toe hold on that market.

While companies do shy away from very controversial events (you won't see a major corporate sponsorship of the next KKK convention any time soon, for example), it is a fact that Faux...I mean, Fox news does represent the views of a significant percentage of the US population.

I would go ahead and follow through with this, if I were you. In this economy, a job is a job.

And yes, Sean Hannity is batshit insane.

[berkeman]

So save me some googling minutes. They're non-refundable, you know. And one has dog slobber on it. Yuck.

What's a tea-bagger? I have a pretty good idea of what batshit insane is (but have no idea why the profanity filter didn't turn it into stars, but whatever).

BTW, what's your major, and what position are you applying for?

(Disclaimer -- I am a Verizon customer, and don't think I'm batshit insane, but am honestly not sure yet until I read the rest of this thread...)

[TMFKAN64]

Life is compromise. The key is to not do it so much you feel like you are losing your soul.

I want to tell you to skip it and find another job, but when they came to me to pee in a jar, I smiled, said "Yes, massa" and peed in the jar. So you probably don't want to listen to me on this.

Think of it this way... you can take their money and funnel it into progressive causes. Make a nice sized donation to one after you accept the position.

[vanesch]

Anyways, now that you've posted this, you won't get the job. :uhh:

[Sankaku]

What's a tea-bagger?
When confused by jargon, I turn to the Urban Dictionary.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/


My only advice to the OP is to take the job and then quit if you don't like it. The trick is that it is damn hard to give up money once you have it. Keep a strong will...

[berkeman]

When confused by jargon, I turn to the Urban Dictionary.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/


My only advice to the OP is to take the job and then quit if you don't like it. The trick is that it is damn hard to give up money once you have it. Keep a strong will...

Thanks for the link -- will bookmark it. Unfortunately it didn't help me understand why Verizon is a bunch of teabaggers.

I'm not a very politically passionate guy, but I think that these tea-baggers are batshit insane.

But whatever. Got more important things to do, people to see...

[TMFKAN64]

I will assume that those who seems genuinely confused about teabaggers do not actually live in the US, and explain that there have been a series of anti-tax anti-Obama demonstrations here promoted by Fox News that are being called "Tea Parties". (This is a reference to the Boston Tea Party during our war for independence.)

Please disregard all of the sexual references in the Urban Dictionary in this context.

[berkeman]

I will assume that those who seems genuinely confused about teabaggers do not actually live in the US, and explain that there have been a series of anti-tax anti-Obama demonstrations here promoted by Fox News that are being called "Tea Parties". (This is a reference to the Boston Tea Party during our war for independence.)

Please disregard all of the sexual references in the Urban Dictionary in this context.

Actually that's a help. So it's an anti-gov-tax reference? Thx.

[reno]

Faux...I mean, Fox news.

Hmmm... know anyone called moot per chance?

[hammertime]

One thing I'm worried about, however, is what others will think. I know that's not supposed to matter. However, I'm going to try to make friends outside of work once I start working (how I'll do it, I don't yet know). If they find out that I work for a company that sponsored a rally hosted by Sean Hannity, won't they essentially think that I endorse the rally and all the nuts who were there?

[Ben Espen]

Hammertime,

There may be people who would conclude that, but companies such as Verizon are large, and all kinds of people probably already work there, so I think you will probably be all right. Companies are not monolithic entities where everyone thinks alike.

[seycyrus]

One thing I'm worried about, however, is what others will think. I know that's not supposed to matter. However, I'm going to try to make friends outside of work once I start working (how I'll do it, I don't yet know). If they find out that I work for a company that sponsored a rally hosted by Sean Hannity, won't they essentially think that I endorse the rally and all the nuts who were there?

I understand your fear. Most liberals are this narrow-minded, and you wouldn't want to offend any of them with the truth.

[Locrian]

Meh. Insurance companies and investment banks suffer from negative public opinion. Verizon Wireless is a phone company with some annoying commercials.

If you like the work, thicken your skin and take the job.