I agree with you 100%. Our relationships with our employers and with our work is very much like our romantic relationships. It sounds like Rick and management w

I agree with you 100%. Our relationships with our employers and with our work is very much like our romantic relationships. It sounds like Rick and management were both inexperienced and focusing too much on the short-term. Similar to breakups, sometimes we draw them out over many months (or years...) because we've invested so much into something already, it's hard to just pull the plug. And certainly the idea of the "frog in the boiling water" applies to both types of relationships. When things get bad slowly over time, we don't notice. I also feel like I've been a little like Rick before (though in a non-developer role). I learned a lot from that experience and, like you, have matured as a result.