You're not required to set yourself on fire to keep others warm. There is such an incredibly huge gap between what is considered good software craftmanship and

You're not required to set yourself on fire to keep others warm. There is such an incredibly huge gap between what is considered good software craftmanship and what is actually happening in practice in the industry. Nobody really talks that loudly about the ugly parts - it's embarrassing and just reflects badly on your employer (or worse - client). But judging from my own experience, and what my friends working at other places tell me, and how much articles like "Programming Sucks"[0] resonate with people, you are very likely to run into the same problem at your next job if you decide to quit. It sounds like you're doing a good job, so instead of quitting, consider caring less about the company, the project and your own reputation. Let deadlines slip. Don't do patch releases. Go home at 5. You might catch some extra flak at the start since you've been doing this stuff so far, but at worst you will be as ineffective as your coworkers. The company is probably better off with you working normally than quitting. [0]http://www.stilldrinking.org/programming-sucks http://www.stilldrinking.org/programming-sucks