I respect you opinion!! So what kind of software do u work with if u don't mind me asking?
I'm an in-house .net code monkey for a largish specialty insurance house. It's not glamorous but it pays the bills. But I've been doing it long enough and reliably enough to be the silver back.
And that's why I know that projects running late will be tolerated if you keep people informed. Run late and be silent about it and they start heating the tar and sharpening pitchforks.