I am the part-owner of an architectural firm in the US and still must deal with **** about my bike-riding from my partners (who are more "corporate" and concerned about "decorum" than I am, and less concerned about visibly sustainable life-style):
- Showing up and being briefly visible in bike clothes in the morning
- Being visibly hot in the studio after the morning shower (the new office has bike storage, lockers and showers, per my instigation)
- Riding cycle to local client meetings.
These are all areas of some occasional tension.
Cycling in my city saves time (I can be at my clients in half the time of my colleagues taking public transit or a cab) and my clients are very progressive about sustainable transportation choices, which I do point out when needed..
Perhaps the OP actually needs a car for potentially remote client meetings, but I think it is likely that his/her potential employer is being somewhat somewhat regressive and dickish like my partners. Therefore I agree with others that the OP will need to be practical and either suck it up and get the car, or find a different job. If the gig has merit, I would take the job, prove worthy, then gradually try to change the firm culture.
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Work is the curse of the drinking classes - Oscar Wilde