Down and out in the magic kingdom – A tale of software consulting in the midwest
Disclaimer:  These are my views.  Not my employer&#x27;s.<p>I currently work for Pillar.  I met Ray for the first time fairly recently.  He seemed like a smart, passionate developer and it breaks my heart to see him having such a meltdown.  I&#x27;ve had my own sleep issues and the last company I worked for seemed to be talking out of both sides of their mouth.  I understand what that can feel like.  It&#x27;s a really hard thing to go through.  I would also say that when you&#x27;re barely sleeping at night, you make poor decisions and start to look at the world through a warped lens.<p>Yes, the company is goofy.  The CEO can be a bit of a blowhard, the titles seem kitschy and uninspired, and there&#x27;s a lot of self-congratulatory aggrandizing that goes on.  It&#x27;s a consulting firm.  It&#x27;s not surprising.<p>But the people are excellent.  Imagine an oasis of nerds (okay, maybe don&#x27;t) that really care about software quality in the center of a market that needs a lot of help.  They&#x27;re committed to education, community involvement, and each other.  It&#x27;s really pretty great to work here.<p>That is, as long as you don&#x27;t get it twisted.  On time and under budget still matters.  Perceptions still matter.  Politics, expectations, and realities are all things that you&#x27;re going to have to deal with no matter what.  Your ability to balance all of these things is part of what makes you effective at your job.<p>I don&#x27;t know the particulars of the circumstances that led to his termination.  I don&#x27;t really want to know them.  It would be irresponsible to postulate.  However, I can say that I&#x27;m disappointed with the way that he&#x27;s chosen to move on.  It&#x27;s good for no one.  I see a thoughtful developer burning bridges in public.<p>That can be cathartic, but at what cost?