For job seekers, this has been a panacea. If you land a job at a dot com, don't expect to be working under crotchety old timers who look like they are leftovers from the Nixon administration. The people who work in the medium are young-with most in their twenties and early thirties. On the fashion front, most dot comers don't like getting any more dressed up than khakis and a polo shirt-even when they're going to meetings with clients. This youthful, laid back environment accounts for much of the exuberance and zeal that characterize dot coms.
Young people bring energy and ideas, which keeps things interesting.
But they don't bring structure, which can make things difficult. It's unlikely you'll find the organizational structure and clearly defined protocols that exist at more established companies. At many Web companies, every time you do something it can feel like you've got to reinvent the wheel. Dot coms are chaotic places to work, no doubt about it-there's always a problem and most of the time it's a problem the company has never encountered before. Things change fast and if you can't change with them, you won't last long.