What types of industries have you worked in? I wonder if software vendors provide better working environments because they understand how developers work? How hard can it be to understand that developers require concentration when working? I don't get it.

Headphones work for some distractions. However, lots of traffic and people with loud voices aren't fixed by headphones, unfortunately. :(

Is it normal for developers to have to work on noisy office spaces? I've had a few different jobs as a developer over the past few years. The best one had an office. It was quiet and it was easy to focus on my work. I've had others with semi-queiet cubicles and one with a very noisy environment with people talking on their cell phones while walking around the developers' desks. How am I supposed to concentrate on work when the employer seems to discourage it by the environment? Please tell me that this isn't normal. Are there employers out there that actually encourage productivity? How do I find these jobs? Lately I seem to be having bad luck. Maybe I live in the wrong part of the US?