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e seen that at a few companies. The marketing people have sumptuous lunches with piles of sandwiches, desserts and drinks catered. The rest of the staff labors away producing the core products of the company. Sometimes, a scavenger call goes out at the end of the marketing meeting. The productive staff get a shot a scavenging what is left. Minutes later, you find out that marketing has made a public commitment to an unrealistic deadline. More all nighters and weekends to cover their incompetence and lack of communication.

I couldnt have said it better myself, you must have spent some time working in production for a large corporation too.

you must have spent some time working in production for a large corporation too.

What the hey? You fellas must really have been the redheaded step-kids. Weren't you ever honored by being herded a thousand at time into a non-airconditioned space to stand on a concrete floor for an hour while the regional sales VPs were introduced?

I'll be forever indebted to those guys for the way they singlehandedly kept my job afloat for all those years.

< sniff >

I couldnt have said it better myself, you must have spent some time working in production for a large corporation too.

I was the architect and lead software engineer at an internet startup company. When the execs took the company public, the software engineering staff was forced into working 7 days a week, 14 hour days to deliver on commitments delivered in a press conference. The marketing weenies made claims without checking with the development staff first. Failure to meet the commitments meant the stock price would tank. We meet the commitments. I paid the price with carpal tunnel syndrome that was so bad that I could not open doors, hold a glass of water or shift my car.

I made a decision to walk away from 38,000 options priced at 38 cents. It wasn't worth being disabled for life. A year after I left, the stock price peaked at $26/share. All those options would have been eligible for exercise. I could have had a gain of $973,560 before taxes. Instead, I returned to my current employer and managed my stock carefully. I've still had lots of 70-80 hour WEEKS, but isn't non-stop to the point of injury.

Of late, I've spent lots of time reading financial books by Dave Ramsey, Robert Kiyosaki and David Bach. Following their advice has me on track to being debt free with good investments yielding passive income for the future when I can't pound out 60 to 80 hour weeks on demand.