Dealing with the culture for the prestige just isn't worth it anymore.
Pros
You will learn a LOT. A few months here feels like 10 years elsewhere. People’s eyes will light up when they find out where you work. And no matter which publication you’re under, it’s sure to look nice on your resume.
Cons
The level of disorganization is almost unbearable, as is the micro-management, the unrealistic expectations, and the lack of respect shown by many members of the team to others. Office politics are part of every role, but here, you will spend so much time stroking grown adults’ egos that you’ll barely have time to do your actual job. You can also expect plenty of blame games, as finger-pointing is as much a part of life here as renting clothes to fit “the look”—a luxury few can afford, but all are silently expected to adhere to. (Yes, it will eat up a massive chunk of your already-meager paycheck; yes, you will be ostracized if you don’t do it, anyway.) It’s difficult to tell the difference between who is incredibly busy, who is unnecessarily standoffish, and who is both. You will be flooded with a thousand tasks outside of your job description with no praise or additional compensation—and you will be subtly looked down on if you refuse to do or downright can’t manage it all. You will get Slacks from 6 am to 11 pm that you are expected to respond to, no matter what. Every one good day is offset by four that are bad. I am telling you now that turnover at Conde is high for a reason. It isn’t so much that people “don’t make it” (which is exactly the unhealthy mindset we need to quash in order to change unreasonably harsh work environments) as it is that ultimately, people realize it just isn’t worth it. In any case, why would you want to contribute to the cycle of toxicity at this company whose entire reputation is built on cruelty and classism, and where “success” is essentially achieved by being so utterly cold-blooded that many of the people you work with dislike you? It takes a lot of hard work to land a job at Conde Nast. But I am telling you, as a lifelong overachiever, that working here is no longer something to aspire to. You can have a fulfilling career by being kind to people. You can find work at incredibly reputable brands whose work and culture are both far more future-proof. You can do better for yourself and your mental health. Really. They have flown by on prestige for far too long.
