Honesty and integrity are absolutely essential for success in life — all areas of life. The really good news is that anyone can develop both honesty and integrity.
— Zig Ziglar
Let me start by saying that it is important to be honest in all your dealings with your fellow humans. As the saying goes, it is easier to be honest because it is so difficult to keep track of all your lies.
I have avoided telling this story publicly because of an irrational fear of reprisal. However, more than 25 years have passed since the events in this article, and I have taken care not to name names.
So, I think I will be fine.
This story is an excerpt from my book, Don’t Say That at Work. The book contains a collection of mistakes I made throughout my software development career and advice on how to avoid making similar ones yourself. If you would like to read more like this, please consider the complete book. Also available DRM-free on Gumroad.
I Am a Developer!
Back in 1995 I landed what I consider to be my first “real” paid programming job, though it was technically my second. This was a great opportunity to join a small programming shop, where I would work on custom software development for external clients.
The job quickly took a disappointing turn when I learned I would not be working on Macintosh desktop software as I had been hired to do. Instead, because my earlier job had occasionally had me working in Windows, the owner decided that I would work on a contract he had accepted to build a custom desktop application on the new and shiny Windows 95. From that point on, I was a Windows developer, a fact which did not change for almost two decades.
But that is a story for another time.
The owner of this company was a bit of a micromanager, and he insisted on being kept apprised of every minor detail. He even insisted on editorial control over my résumé. This is not quite as odd as it might seem at first. When the company would bid on new development contracts, some potential clients would want to know the background of the developers who would be doing the actual work.
This did not really cause any problems for a year or two. In fact, I appreciated the improvements he helped me make. I was happy that someone else was looking out for my future employment prospects, even if that was not the primary motivation.
The trouble began when he asked me to falsify information on my résumé.
My Fake Résumé
The client we were currently bidding on indicated that they only wanted college graduates working on their project. I was the only employee without a college degree, but I was also the only Windows developer.
The owner was furious and feigned ignorance of my lack of degree, even though I had always been honest about never having graduated. After he calmed down, he suggested that I simply add a fake Computer Science degree to my résumé, figuring that the client would never check.
He was probably right, but I refused. I didn’t want to attach my name to false information, even if it probably didn’t matter. Honesty and integrity were important to me, and still are.
Without my knowledge, he added the false degree and a graduation date, and sent off the paperwork with his bid. I do not remember exactly how I discovered the deception, but I did and was livid that he intentionally misrepresented me to the client.
It was then I decided I could no longer work for him or the company. My conscience would not allow it. This was my integrity and reputation he was compromising. I had to draw the line somewhere, and this was the place.
My Resignation
The owner of the company was a large and gruff individual, and a little intimidating to my younger self.
After wrestling with much self-doubt, I mustered some courage, walked into his office, tendered my immediate resignation, and handed him my office key. Surprisingly, he was gracious about it, gracious enough that I was a bit suspicious of what was coming next.
I did not have long to wait. I’ll cover the rest of the story in the next article.