Remember when coworking meant meeting strangers at a library?

Honestly, I miss the early days of freelancing around 2015 when I'd just grab a table at the downtown Denver library and hope someone interesting sat nearby. Back then, I didn't know any other freelancers and was constantly trying to find people to bounce ideas off of. Now I book a desk at a big coworking spot for $250 a month and see the same 50 faces every week, but nobody really talks past a quick nod. It's weird how the more organized these spaces get, the less genuine interaction happens. The library had no wifi passwords or sign-in sheets, just me awkwardly asking someone if they wanted coffee. Has anyone else found that smaller local meetups feel more real than these polished coworking hubs?

3 comments

3 Comments

zarag176d agoMost Upvoted

$250 a month just to get a nod instead of actual conversation, sounds like a real bargain. Guess we traded awkward coffee invites for overpriced silence.

miaprice6d ago

Oh man, @zarag17 you're not wrong but I feel personally attacked over here. I mean, I paid $300 for a "networking membership" last year and got one awkward wave from across the room before the guy checked his phone for the rest of the event. Maybe it's just me but I feel like we're all paying for the idea of connection more than the actual thing. Like, throw in a stale bagel or something at least, you know? I'd take an awkward coffee invite over a $250 nod any day, at least the coffee stains give you something to talk about.

sanchez.ivan6d ago

Are you sure it's the coworking spaces that changed or just the way we use them? I actually like that at my spot nobody forces a conversation on you, because some days I need to just grind and not small talk. The library was cool when you wanted a random chat, but I remember wasting whole mornings listening to someone's side project that went nowhere. Now I can put on headphones and get four hours of solid work before lunch. I think the polish helps me focus, and when I actually want to connect, I just sit in the common area instead of my desk. The library had good vibes but no structure, and sometimes structure is what keeps me from getting distracted.