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2 words: Ear buds. I listen to what I want to listen to all day, not the ambient noise.
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How are you able to fit the Budweiser cans in your ears? 
Soren Madsen
"When you don't know what you're doing it's best to do it quickly" - Jase #DuckDynasty
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Be careful what you wish for. I used to work in a really noisy office, we were a small company and everyone was in the same room so you had account handlers and sales people constantly on the phone with phones ringing non-stop.
Then the building was renovated and myself and another developer got our own office, which was sooo quiet and depressing that I would have given anything to move back into the populated office; I started getting moody and frustrated and felt completely isolated especially when the other developer went on holiday for weeks at a time.
Eventually we moved into a less populated office and the noise levels were tolerable with headphones, but I'd rather be with people than without them.
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It seems to be heading toward normal ... as the office planners move to more cubitoriums. People don't understand how we work. I'm currently in a cubitorium where a few meters away sits she-whose-name-can't-be-mentioned but she is incapable of TALKING WITH AN INSIDE VOICE. I've never met her but I know all about her husband, children, auto insurance and the current real estate projects! 
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I have worked for a lot of companies, large and small. The small ones were usually the best, as the space to work in peace was allowed, and the number of people making noise were limited. The largest with cubicle farms were the worst. Literally hundreds of developers working on different projects at once. In my current position we moved our entire development team to a different part of the building. The only people there are developers and there is no room for anyone else. It is quiet, loose, and comfortable. The best yet.
My advise, invest in a good set of noise cancelling headphones.
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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.
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My previous job, I had an office I shared with one other person, so it was pretty quiet. The non developers were in an open office so it was noisy over there, but we only had to go over there if we had questions for them.
My current job has all of us co-located with our Scrum Teams (we have developers and V/V members on the team) so the noise level among the team is minimal. But we are in cubicles with a lot of other people around. So it does get noisy when people have to meet around the others.
The noise is not something that bothers me, as I have noise cancelling head phones that I use listening to music all day.
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Here's a suggestion, based on some rather old experience.
A couple of generations ago, I worked at a "terminal farm" in the same room as several minicomputers. The noise level was so high that we were issued ear protectors - over-the-ear headphones with no sound reproduction hardware.
If you're working in a noisy environment, get a pair of headphones that do a good job of blocking external noise. This has several benefits:
1. It gives you a quiet environment
2. You can play your favorite music without adding to the ambient noise around you
3. It demonstrates to others (management) that the environment is too noisy - maybe the situation will improve for everyone!
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I work in the UK for a development department at the parent company in Sweden. Over there they have offices with 2 or 3 developers in, all nice and quiet all the time.
Over here, I'm the only developer and have to sit in an office full of engineering designers using CAD. 50% of the time its OK, but the other 50% of the time either the boss is away at meetings so everyone just gasses or sales reps are visiting with their voices that only have 1 volume, LOUD!
I've resorted to having a good set of headphones to hand and listen to some suitable music. I've found this site quite good: Music For Programming[^]
I have video/goto meetings quite regular so the company payed for a decent headset with mic. Sometimes I'm wearing it for 4 or 5 hours at a time.
I don't have a signature!
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Everything you've experienced is normal. You just need to find what works for you so you can be productive in each one.
My first job was in a noisy environment, so I cobbled together a set of passive sound deadening headphones from some shooting earmuffs and a set of headphones. They allowed me to play music softly enough it drowned out the office noise yet still wasn't a distraction itself.
We can program with only 1's, but if all you've got are zeros, you've got nothing.
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I use to have a cube that was right next to the tech support group. Very noisy. I eventually brought in my shooter muffs. They worked great! A couple of the tech support guys thought they were just funky looking headphones. 
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FredWi wrote: Please tell me that this isn't normal.
Sorry, I believe it is.
I have had more software engineering jobs than most (and I'm not bragging). While I find cubicles acceptable, the lab where integration occurs is always loud with cooling fans. (hmmm .. but perhaps your kind of software is not 'embedded' in noisy telecom equipment.)
I recommend you deal with noise directly. The other respondents have mentioned noise-cancelling headphones, buy good comfortable ones. I got a Bose.
One solution(?) no one mentioned ... start a rumor. I once worked in cubes way too close to an obnoxiously noisy mechanical device, some sort of mechanical small component sorter. The team complained to our supervisor. And though he was competent and professional, he later shared something about brick wall, and nothing happened.
Later, with no supervisor's permission, one of our team suggested we start a rumor. In 5 minutes of discussion, and a one time walk about in all the buildings we had access to, we found a good location (away from us) for that noisy machine (out by the shipping docs). It turned out that robots delivered the machine output, so no human would be inconvenienced by the location.
Note that 'good' rumors are easy to start. Simply share with anyone, "hey I heard ...". In this case, the noisy machine was gone within two weeks. I suppose it could have been a coincidence.
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I work in a "noisy" environment. Hardly anyone talks - they all chat to each other on IRC. You think they are beavering away but they're chatting all the time. Half the staff have their headphones on so they can't hear anything anyway. I'm still getting used to the text message spelling.
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In preparation for the incoming bad weather, Norfolk Police have implemented their emergency procedure. A spokesman said just now on the "Magic Noise Box" [or Radio as the ROW call it] that they will be going house to house to make sure everyone is aware.
There was no mention of radio or television announcements, just that they'd pop round to see all's well.
speramus in juniperus
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On the matter of road regulations from a recent pub quiz, without cheating: What was the speed limit introduced with the 'Red Flag Act'? Ah, the good old days.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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4mph
speramus in juniperus
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Correct, but only half the answer...
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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I'm not sure, but I do know it was variable depending on whether the locomotive was in the city or the countryside. So, I'll go with 4MPH (city) and 10MPH (countryside).
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Correct, with wrong speeds...
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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Well, at least I know why it was called the red flag act. Ah, hold on, that's the clue - a person couldn't walk that fast, so let's revise it to 2 MPH city and 3 MPH country.
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote: a person couldn't walk that fast
Speak for yourself. 
Veni, vidi, vici.
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Extremely close, I believe 2mph in town, and 4mph in the country.
Despite having been lifted a while ago, I don't think anyone told SouthEastern Railway.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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I was going to ask you which of the Locomotive Acts they referred to, but apparently it's just The Locomotive Act 1865[^] that's called the Red Flag Act. Which states two and four mph.
Politicians are always realistically manoeuvering for the next election. They are obsolete as fundamental problem-solvers.
Buckminster Fuller
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