SysAdmin work attire

[aggie113]

I say if you're not expected to get dirty around the IT equipment dress up, otherwise polo and khakis if the dresscode allows it.  But if you want to feel nice and dressing nice does that for you then just stock up on dry cleaning coupons

[QuantumSingularity]

As long as your clothes don't have stains on them and you don't show up with Linus hair & beard, it should be fine. When i was a sysadmin, I used to go with urban camo cargo pants and Quake II and StarCraft t-shirts. Now when i see someone who is supposed to be a sysadmin with pressed shirt and pants and pointy shoes, he instantly gives me "the ultimate level of n00b" vibes. This is a man who never experienced the back of a rack or the bottom of a desk filled with rats nest of cables.

[whispous]

Black jeans appear at a glance to be smarter than they are.

 

You can wear plain Polo shirts to get most of the comfort of a t-shirt while still looking, if not smart, "official."

[Needfuldoer]

6 hours ago, whispous said:

Black jeans appear at a glance to be smarter than they are.

 

You can wear plain Polo shirts to get most of the comfort of a t-shirt while still looking, if not smart, "official."

I'm not a sysadmin (more of a "technology handyman"), but +1 to polos and black jeans. You don't look quite as out of place whether you have to unpack equipment, poke around a raised ceiling, or barge into drop in on a C-suite meeting and "fix the WiFis" so important business people can do important business things. They won't miss the cookie you swipe off the platter on the way out of the room, either.

[whispous]

Most IT admin/support staff who wear smart shirts and even something approaching a suit no longer do or have never done the real dirty work in their life B)

[DeerDK]

I work in an engineering-adjacent industry. So its pretty lax but not without limits. My goto is polo and jeans (not too worn). The polo is much more pleasant IMO than a button down shirt but still gives enough of an aura of professionalism should one end up in a meeting with a customer.

Granted, my boss's boss wears t-shirt and jeans almost every day, so we are probably not representative for most workplaces. The hieraki is extreemly flat, like 400+ employees and no-one bats an eye if you challenge the CEO to a table-football match. 

[Stahlmann]

I'm personally a hoodie and jeans person wherever possible, but the IT guys in my company usually come in polo and jeans.

[Thomas A. Fine]

Sandals.  Socks optional.  Year round.

Pot belly.

 

Cargo shorts.  Year round.

 

Aging concert t-shirts in the summer.  Same shirt with hoody over it in the winter.  Second option instead of hoody: worn out flannel shirt worn as a jacket.

 

Beard.  Long and flowing.  (Optional only for those who identify as both very female and very gender-role-conformist.)

 

Seriously though, your work culture should dictate what you wear, not the specific job description.  You might get away with taking things down a notch because "sysadmin".  But you also might just serve to distance yourself and alienate others.  Admittedly, distance and alienation are also traditional sysadmin attire, but I am not recommending these attitudes for every-day wear.

[Kisai]

On 2/5/2024 at 6:12 AM, StarsMars said:

I recently moved into a systems administrator position at a new company.

It's in person and I am the only onsite IT at this location. Before this job, I was doing helpdesk remote work from home.

 

So I'm wondering what people consider the proper dress etiquette is for a sysadmin.

It's not formal enough for a suit, but I feel out of place in khakis, vans and a T shirt.

 

Button up shirt, dress pants and dress shoes?

Khakis and polo?

Ask what the dress code is for the place is, first.

 

In most cases, if you are expected to handle equipment (Eg desktops, racking servers) then it's unreasonable to wear anything fancier than the normal staff wear on their casual friday.

 

At best, make sure your arms are covered for your own safety. 

 

Like black jeans and dark long-sleeve sweater, t-shirt or polo short is usually reasonable, depending on the climate. If the office runs cold, wear two layers so you can remove one if it gets too warm.

 

If you will only be handling laptops (no desktops or servers) then just wear what everyone else is wearing, maybe steel-toed dress shoes just in case you drop heavy things on your toes. Otherwise just wear black sneakers or whatever is suitable for their floor/carpet.

 

Like from experience, nobody cares what you wear as long as it's clean and has no logos other than the company on it.

[randy123]

polo 

[LogicalDrm]

*** Thread cleaned ***

 

This discussion has been nice and fine for the most part. Would hate to have to lock it. So lets keep it clean. There are other places on the internet where you can discuss whatever you like.

[Cyberwolf]

16 hours ago, LogicalDrm said:

*** Thread cleaned ***

 

This discussion has been nice and fine for the most part. Would hate to have to lock it. So lets keep it clean. There are other places on the internet where you can discuss whatever you like.

thanks i was going to ask

[StarsMars]

On 2/16/2024 at 5:39 PM, whispous said:

Most IT admin/support staff who wear smart shirts and even something approaching a suit no longer do or have never done the real dirty work in their life B)

I think more people have "put their time in" than not. Prior to this I was at a bad MSP and have had dirty jobs.

That being said, I'm very fortunate to be where I'm at. They don't skimp on their IT budget.