Pilot fish with a great work ethic is between jobs and starts working for a temp agency. His first assignment is at a small company that puts him on a data processing task that is supposed to take five days. Fish pushes hard, and by reciting the work sequence out loud as he goes along, he finishes the job in four days. When he shows up on Friday, though, he’s told that there’s no more work for him there. And on such short notice, the agency can’t come up with anything for him, either. Fish realizes he has worked himself out of a day’s pay — and vows not to do that again.

Months go by, fish is still with the temp agency, and he gets another assignment at the same small company. This time, he’s resolved to not push so hard. But when he walks in the door, the receptionist’s face lights up. “Oh, I remember you!” she exclaims. “You’re the one who talks to himself and works like crazy!”

Don’t talk to yourself; talk to Sharky. Send me your true tales of IT life at sharky@computerworld.com. You can also subscribe to the Daily Shark Newsletter.