System Crashed The Day I Quit

Comp time? Not right now.
Director Vivian Miller didn't even look up as she signed the last document and slid it across the desk to me.
I stood there, my feet planted.
You still here, Avery? She finally lifted her eyes.
Vivian, I've requested compensatory time off seventeen times, I said, keeping my voice level, perhaps too level. Seventeen requests, zero approvals.
Young people need to build grit, she said, giving me a dismissive smile. Lets talk after the project launches.
After the project launches.
Shed said the exact same thing when the last version of the project went live last year.
I glanced down at my phone. The log for my late-night hours hadn't been cleared yet. Three years. Three thousand hours.
Understood, I nodded, turning to walk toward the door.
I stopped with my hand on the cool metal of the frame.
Vivian, I said, without turning back. Three thousand hours for zero days. That ledger is balanced in my head.
1
Working until 2:00 AM wasn't a novelty anymore. It was just Tuesday.
I stared at the lines of code on my screen, my eyes painfully dry. My light was the only one on in the office, the rest of the city outside long asleep.
Ding.
My phone lit up. A Slack notification.
It was from Director Miller: Re-do the pitch deck for tomorrow's meeting, update the financials to the latest pull.
Two in the morning. She was definitely already tucked into bed.
I didn't reply. I just went back to the code.
This entire financial settlement systemthe front end, the back end, the database architectureI built it all from scratch. It had been three years, and outside of me, not a single person had touched a line of the core code.
It wasn't that they didn't want to learn; it was that they couldn't.
Nexus Financial Solutions had fifty employees, and I was the only software engineer. Everyone else was operations or sales. This system carried every dollar of the company's revenue. If it failed, the entire business would seize up.
And that, they believed, meant I couldnt leave.
At 3:30 AM, I finally patched the last bug.
Shut down the laptop, locked the door, and took the elevator down.
The late-night lobby was deserted. The security guard, an older man named Jerry, was dozing by the entrance. He lifted an eyelid when he saw me.
Late night again, Avery.
Yeah.
Your company is certainly dedicated.
I didn't answer. I pushed the door open to the silent street.
Dedicated?
My salary: 0-000,000 a year, unchanged for three years. Overtime: 3,000 hours. Comp time: zero days. Last month's vacation request? Vivian said, The project is too busy, next time.
It was always next time.
I got home close to 4:00 AM.
Lying in bed, I stared at the ceiling.
A thought drifted through my mind: What if I just quit?
The system would seize up. The financial data would be compromised. The company would have to halt operations.
Vivian would panic.
That woman, who never seemed to see me, would finally be afraid.
I rolled over and closed my eyes.
Forget it.
Just sleep.
Nine oclock the next morning, I was at my desk.
Or, rather, I was at my desk precisely on time and significantly underslept.
The moment I sat down, Slack pinged.
@Avery Jensen, is the pitch deck updated?
I opened the deck, replaced the outdated figures. Ten minutes later, I sent it back.
Five minutes passed. Vivian replied: That chart isn't clear enough. Use a different format.
I rebuilt the chart.
Five minutes later: The colors are too dark. Lighten them up.
I changed the colors.
The font is too small.
I increased the font size.
You know what? The first version looked better. Change it back.
I took a deep breath.
I changed it back.
I was used to this routine. In my three years here, Id revised over five hundred presentations. Not because I was a great graphic designer, but because the company didn't have one.
Well, it had one. The last admin assistant quit after three months. Her reason: She couldnt handle the hours.
Vivian had spent thirty minutes in her office that day railing: These young people just dont have any grit.
I listened from my desk, silent.
Grit?
Vivian left the office every day at six on the dot. She never worked late. She ignored messages on the weekends, citing, "Family time."
Me? I hadn't had a single uninterrupted weekend in three years.
Hey, Avery.
Devin, a sales associate, leaned in conspiratorially.
Whats up?
Heard the news? Annual bonuses are coming out this month.
I heard.
What do you think theyll be?
I shrugged. No idea.
Devin sighed. I asked around. Doesn't sound great. Last year, old man George in Accounts, he hit his quota first. Got an eight-thousand-dollar bonus.
Eight thousand.
A year of work, thousands of hours of overtime, top performance, and an eight-thousand-dollar bonus.
That was this company.
Seriously, Devin looked at me. What are we even doing here?
I didn't answer.
What was I doing here?
I wanted to know too.
At 2:00 PM, the all-hands meeting began.
The conference room wasn't built for fifty people; the air was thick and stale.
Vivian stood at the front, my presentation on the screen behind her.
This quarter, our financial settlement system has maintained stable operations, boosting efficiency by thirty percent, Vivian rattled on. This is the result of team effort.
Team effort.
The system was solely my work.
And the recent version upgrade, in particular, solved the persistent data latency issue. Client feedback has been stellar.
The version upgrade was the result of two consecutive weeks of late nights.
The client feedback email was also one I drafted.
This project was managed by my team, Vivian looked out at the room. Of course, Avery provided some support on the execution.
Some support.
I clenched my fists under the table.
After the meeting, Vivian walked over and patted my shoulder.
Avery, nice work.
Thanks.
Keep it up.
She smiled and walked away.
Devin leaned over. Didn't you build that whole system by yourself?
I did.
Then why did Vivian say it was her teams
Shes the director, I cut him off. It's standard procedure.
Devin opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn't say anything more.
Standard procedure.
In this company, everything was standard.
No overtime pay? Standard.
Comp time requests rejected? Standard.
Credit stolen? Standard.
I watched Vivians retreating back, and the thought from last night resurfaced.
What if I quit?
Maybe it was time to seriously consider that question.
2.
Three days later, the finance department had a problem.
Avery, can you step over here for a second?
Brenda, the Finance Supervisor, stood by my cube, her face tight.
Whats wrong, Brenda?
The numbers in the system aren't matching up, she whispered. Last months accounts receivable are short by eighteen thousand dollars.
I frowned. Short?
Yes. Can you come look? See if its a system bug.
I followed her to the finance office. After twenty minutes of reviewing the data, I found the problem wasn't a bug.
Brenda, this isn't an error, I pointed to the screen. This transaction was manually deleted.
Manually deleted? Brenda was stunned. By who?
I pulled up the operation log. The user account was clearly visible.
It was Vivian Millers account.
This Brenda glanced at me, then looked away, saying nothing.
I remained silent too.
Vivian had used her own account to delete an 0-08,000 transaction. What that implied, we both understood perfectly.
Avery, Brenda took a deep breath. Don't breathe a word of this.
I wont.
Ill talk to Vivian.
She left.
I sat in the empty finance office, staring at that line in the log. A mix of feelings churned inside me.
Eighteen thousand dollars.
Maybe it was for creative accounting, maybe it was something worse.
It wasnt my problem.
But one thing I knew for certain: The water here was a lot murkier than I thought.
Later that night, as I worked late, Devin appeared at my cube again.
Avery, did you hear?
Hear what?
Vivian is being promoted to Vice President.
I stopped typing. When did this happen?
Just these past couple of days. They say its because of that financial system project. The CEO is thrilled.
The financial system I wrote.
The one she used to score a promotion.
Will that help us? I asked.
Devin shook his head. I doubt it. But he lowered his voice, I heard a VP starts at two hundred thousand a year.
Two hundred thousand.
My annual salary was one hundred thousand.
She stole my credit and her salary more than doubled mine.
Got it, I turned back to the screen. Go get back to work.
Devin left.
I stared at my monitor, my mind blank.
Three years.
I gave this company the best years of my twenties. I sacrificed sleep, weekends, and solved one impossible problem after another. I believed hard work guaranteed reward.
And the result?
The rewards were all handed to someone else.
I opened my browser and pulled up LinkedIn, starting to update my resume.
Three years of developer experience, expert in Java and Python, independently developed a complete financial settlement system.
I should be able to find something, shouldnt I?
I clicked Submit Profile.
The next morning, the moment I arrived, Rhonda, the HR manager, stopped me.
Avery, Vivian wants to see you. Head to her office.
I nodded and walked in.
Vivian was sitting behind her desk, a smile plastered on her face.
Avery, come in, sit down.
I sat. Vivian, whats up?
Oh, nothing major, she flipped through a folder. Just checking in on your work lately. Anything youre struggling with?
I was genuinely taken aback.
She had never asked about my work before.
Im fine, I said. No issues.
Good, good. She set the folder down and looked at me. Avery, youve been with us three years now, havent you?
I have.
And youve performed well consistently. She smiled. The company notices.
The company notices.
I remained silent.
I talked it over with the CEO, she continued. Once this quarter wraps up, were bumping you up a pay grade.
A raise?
My heart gave a small, traitorous flutter.
How much?
Five hundred dollars. A year.
Five hundred dollars a year.
My three years of grinding, my stolen credit, my rejected comp timeall of it bought me an extra forty-one dollars a month?
So? Satisfied? Vivian asked, still smiling.
I took a deep breath, trying to tamp down the volcanic fury in my chest.
Vivian, I want to apply for my comp time.
Her smile froze. Comp time?
Yes. I haven't taken a proper break in three years. I want to take a few days off.
Thats not possible right now, she frowned. The project is too busy, its not a good time.
When will the project not be busy?
In a couple of months, once this quarter is finished.
You said that last quarter.
Her face hardened. Avery, what is this attitude?
I didnt speak.
Young people need to learn how to grind, she stood up. Everyone here has put in the hours. Look at the rest of the staffwho is constantly asking for vacation time?
The rest of the staff?
The rest of the staff got overtime pay. The rest of the staff got comp time approved. The rest of the staff wasn't here until 2:00 AM every night.
Only me.
Right, I stood up. I understand.
Dont be upset now, she switched back to the saccharine tone. Ill take you out for dinner once things slow down.
I ignored the offer and turned to leave.
Back at my desk, Devin cornered me. How was it?
A five-hundred-dollar raise.
Thats it? Devins eyes widened. The value of that system is massive! And she gives you five hundred?
And, I added. The comp time was rejected. Again.
Rejected? Devin paused. So what are you going to do?
I looked at the newly updated resume on my screen and clicked Refresh.
Find a different company.
3.
Two weeks later, I received my first interview invitation.
It was from a larger tech firm, bigger than Nexus. The position was Technical Lead, with a starting salary of 0-080,000.
That was nearly double my current pay.
I called in sick for the day to attend the interview.
The interviewer was the Director of Technology, a man in his mid-thirties named Mark, with kind eyes behind black-rimmed glasses.
Avery Jensen? He flipped through my resume. Three years, and you single-handedly developed a complete financial system?
Thats correct.
Walk me through the architecture.
I described the front-end, back-end, database design, and interface logic. He nodded throughout.
Impressive, he said, then looked at me. Any questions for us?
How much overtime is there?
He smiled. To be honest, yes, we burn the midnight oil when a major release is due. But under normal circumstances, its six on the dot. Weekends are sacred. And any overtime worked automatically qualifies for comp time.
Comp time.
The phrase sounded like a language from a different universe.
Regarding compensation, he continued. Were offering 0-080,000 annually, with a standard fifteen days of paid time off. How does that sound?
0-080,000.
Fifteen days of paid time off.
I took a sharp breath. It sounds excellent.
Great. Our HR team will finalize the details and be in touch soon.
The interview was over. I left the building and stood on the sidewalk, feeling dizzy.
0-080,000.
Two and a half times my current pay.
Fifteen days of vacation.
More than Id been allowed in three years combined.
It turned out that at normal companies, employees were allowed to leave on time. They were allowed to take time off. They were allowed to work with dignity.
Id been at Nexus for three years and almost convinced myself that was how the entire world operated.
It was time to go.
I got back to the office at 4:00 PM.
The moment I stepped inside, Rhonda, the HR manager, intercepted me.
Avery, Vivian wants to see you.
Again.
I walked into the office. Vivian was sitting there, her face stormy.
Avery, where were you today?
Doctors appointment.
A doctors appointment? She scoffed. All day?
Yes.
Do you think I believe that?
I said nothing.
She stood up and walked around the desk to face me. Let me tell you something, Avery. You better not try anything stupid. The company needs you right now. If you dare to
Dare to what? I cut her off. Dare to quit?
She froze.
Vivian, I looked directly at her. I have been at this company for three years. Over three thousand hours of overtime, zero comp days. All my credit was used for your promotion. My loyalty earned me a hundred-and-fifty-dollar monthly raise.
You
What do you think, I gave her a small, cold smile, I have left to be afraid of?
Her face turned a sickly shade of gray. Are you threatening me?
It's not a threat, I turned toward the door. Its a statement of fact.
You stop right there! she shouted. Avery Jensen, if you quit, I will make sure you never work in this industry again!
I paused at the door.
Youll make sure I cant work in this industry?
I turned back, meeting her eyes.
Then Ill make sure you cant stay at this company.
The door shut behind me.
Back at my desk, Devin looked at me, utterly shocked.
Avery, did you just fight with Vivian?
No, I said. I just told her a few truths.
And she
She threatened to ruin my career.
Devin sucked in a breath. What are you going to do?
I powered up my computer and started exporting all my attendance logs onto a flash drive.
Im keeping my receipts, I said. I might need them later.
Devin watched my movements, then murmured, Avery, are you really leaving?
I didn't answer.
He sighed. Its about time. This place is a dead end.
That evening, I got the official offer letter from the new company.
Black and white: 0-080,000 annual salary, start date in one month.
I stared at the email, my heart strangely calm.
Three years.
I was finally leaving that soul-crushing place.
But before I did, I had a few things to settle.
I opened my laptop and started organizing the evidence.
The Slack logs. The three years, 1,095 days, of overtime tracking.
The comp time request log. Seventeen requests, zero approvals.
The pay stubs. 0-000,000 a year, never a penny of overtime pay.
And the employment contract.
I dug out the signed copy and turned to the section on working hours.
Plain text: Standard work week, 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week.
Not flex-time.
Rhonda and Vivian had lied.
I organized all the evidence into a password-protected folder.
I might need them later.
No.
I will definitely need them later.

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