Escaping Corporate Exploitation

It took me three years to learn that the corporate world is toxic and not fit for human happiness or consumption. I was 23 years old and fresh out of college with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering. I applied for entry-level engineering positions around the country and finally got hired by a firm in New Mexico.

In August of 1994, I packed up my meager possessions and drove to Albuquerque. I started work in September and quickly learned that I had to work “overtime” for free every week. It was expected that all entry-level engineers (and managers) would work at least 5 extra hours per week.

I never questioned why we did that. I never questioned why donating my precious time to a corporation was expected. I was a young, naive kid; I had all the time in the world. Over that year, I worked more than 5 extra hours a week, and I didn’t blink an eye.

My work life began to change over the next three years. It was gradual initially, but then the owners started setting impossible deadlines and “mandatory overtime.” We were expected to “donate” more of our time and “cut our teeth” to prepare for the Professional Engineer exam.

A few of us started pulling “all-nighters” to meet these artificial deadlines. The older, more experienced engineers framed it as a way to show your dedication to the team. To keep morale up, the owners would dangle biyearly bonuses for everyone. Your bonus would be based on how many extra hours you worked for the company.

I thought this was normal and didn’t blink an eye. I had nothing to compare my experience to because I never worked for an Engineering company before, I did what was expected of me.

Three years after I moved to the Land of Enchantment, I was called into one of the three owners’ offices. He had a special project for me, and since I was “light” with work (a false assessment) at the moment, I would be the project manager on this special project. It was the first time I was put in charge of the design and was responsible for the design of all elements, and meeting a tight deadline.

That deadline? It was next Monday, and today was Friday. They wanted me to design and complete an initial design submission to the client by Monday. I started to panic. I had Friday and the weekend to work on this project and get it done.