pdcawley,
You asked a question which deserves a response though I would have preferred to stay silent. There was a discussion a while back concerning adding a "Perl Career" section devoted to venting frustrations, asking for advice, etc. This would fall into that category.

I am not a developer. My official title is "Information Technology Specialist". My organization doesn't do any development, we hire contractors. There is a general fear of free and/or open source technology. Since I can remember, the only language used in development has been Java. The organization is oozing with hidden agendas, political power struggles, irrational fears, and a general angst against change.

I am sure this situation isn't too unfamiliar. You may be surprised to hear that I love my job. I remain a perl hobbyist and not a professional because I do it for fun not money. If you take the fun away, the money isn't worth it. My job pays extremely well, provides unique opportunities and challenges, and is quite stable in contradiction to the chaos. Surviving in this environment means knowning when to pick your battles. This leads to the answer of your question.

It is mostly a personal choice rather than one of political absolutes that is preventing me from changing this implementation. I treasure the rare occasions I am asked to contribute code. I have learned that the battles that need to be fought and won in order to win the war of change take a heavy toll and the road to victory is littered with casualties. You are fighting multiple adversaries and most employ attrition as their weapon of choice.

The short answer is, I probably could after a long and arduous struggle but I wouldn't like who I became in the end.

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