The Cake is a Lie.

I have worked at many public and private companies, startups, and failures. One thing I have come away from is that no matter how often you see something posted about their mottos, career path, etc., I have realized one thing.

The cake is a lie.

Companies, no matter how often you see or hear them say, "You are part of a larger family." Or some other sweet-toothed variant of the same statement from HR as you sign the papers for employment. The problem is... it's not true. Especially if the company is old, has just been bought, or has been purchased within the last few years.

I have been through more companies than I care to imagine, and I have become somewhat jaded. I will not use that as an excuse. It is a fact. One thing I have realized is that it is better, to be honest than to get caught in lies. I have lost jobs because of this honesty because when people ask for the truth, they don't want to hear it. They want to hear their version of the truth through your lips, so they know you are on their side.

I have worked for companies that have said they only allow purchases if verified or authorized by a manager, yet at the same time, their finances are in a chaotic mess because of their lack of keeping the books up to date.

I have worked for some companies that needed to catch up on their finances that significant companies no longer were providing services to them because they were not just a month behind but almost half a year in the rears paying.

These companies bleed into more than reputation or money. They bleed talent. People are either fired or quit because the honeymoon phase is over, and the reality of what they have walked into has become apparent.

This, sadly, is more common than we care to admit, especially for contractors. We work a three-month contract for six months, no insurance offered, no time off, and no sick days, and we are to be happy to have a job.

I will not apologize for posting things like this. It is who I am; I have worked 30 years in the IT world, yes the money is good when we have jobs, but we are also one of the few places that demand we are a tech, a psychologist, a therapist, and a verbal body bag all at the same time. When you read this, and if you are part of HR looking at my history here, please remember, that IT is one of the most hated departments in the business world. We don't make a net profit, and we don't produce anything, but we make sure everything is working so that those who make a profit and get the bonuses, etc actually can do so.

IT is one of the most disrespected fields, and it shows. We are not given bonuses for making sure everything works because that is expected of us, we don't get to celebrate in parties because we got to make sure everything is working even when everyone else is allowed to go to parties during work...

We don't get kudos, we don't get a pat on the back, and it is very rare that we ever are told: "Thank you."

If you hire me, expect me to look at a situation and try to fix it. I am not just a person that sits down and accepts his position. I am a person that wants to make it better.

So if you hire me, realize you are hiring someone that is a fixer, a leader. I am not a follower or a yes-man. If you can accept that, please remember when I am dragged in front of you because I ruffled tail feathers. I ruffled feathers because I care.