Job Security

I write code. It's what I do.
I had left a job as it had become a sinking ship and I wanted to get a lifeboat on my terms, so I found a new job where I would be working on an in-house application to handle scheduling tv commercials.
It sounded great. It was in C++, so I would have to learn it, but they sounded like a good learning experience.
And then I started. The first problem was that there was some confusion over who owned the software. It was being built by contractors specifically for my new employer, but they seemed to think they owned the software and were going to sell it to other companies. My employer thought that this software would be a competitive advantage for them and that they owned the software. The contractors wouldn't let me look at the software, or do much of anything. I sat there for two of the most boring weeks I have ever had.
I gave notice and found a job I stayed at for 6 years.
I apparently have less patience than this guy:

When I finally arrived on site, I logged on to my workstation only to find a few roadblocks. First and foremost, there were no developer tools installed. Secondly, I did not have Local Administrative rights to install these tools. Not that it mattered, of course, because the CyberCorp’s “Security Policy” explicitly forbade the installation of any software on its machine.

This was to be expected, so my manager said. She pointed me to their web-based support system where I could open a ticket and request permission to install/configure developer tools on my workstation. Five days later, after constantly pestering the IT Department, they finally responded: “we’re investigating the issue.” This was also to be expected, so my manager said.

The following week’s staff meeting, however, told a different story: the CTO lambasted “us contractors” for “just sitting around and making excuses” instead of “actually getting work done.” My manager mentioned that the company’s new security policies were preventing the new contractors from writing code. “Unacceptable,” said the CTO, “there’s a lot to do other than write code.”