Chicken or egg?

I just realised something. When I was studying in France I couldn't help to notice that we were learning book keeping a little too detailed that we learned how to account for livestock and crops. Then today I remembered a conversation that I had with a friend while queuing for lunch a couple of years ago.

Friend: What do they have today?
Me: It looks like egg and onion tart with fries or roast pork with sauerkraut and steamed potatoes. (I took the tart of course)
Friend: Yeurgh, I can not have another egg for the next few years. We've been having eggs for every meal for a few days already at home.
Me: What happened (as I reach for the yoghurt with apple and a banana at the dessert island)
Friend: Our chickens laid too much eggs this time round. It's too few to sell but too much for the whole family. Do you eat eggs often?
Me: Once or twice a week.
Friend: Well, if you're ever out of eggs just tell me.
Me: For free?
Friend: Half price
Me:...

It's because half of them live in farms. Lille is just surrounded by farms. You just need to drive not ten minutes from the city centre to get to the nearest farms. Just because of them, instead of learning IFRS's I need to know how to account for meat chicken or egg chicken and beef cows or milk cows.

I blame them for this.

***

The difference between office politics and high school politics is that in high school you know that it will all end one day. In office politics, there's no way out unless you put yourself out by resigning or get fired.

Basically there are two types of people that you have to watch out in office. Those who take credit for the work of others and those who put the blame on others. In most circumstances these are the same people although there have been cases where one trait is absent from the equation.

The first scenario would be a simple personal choice. Whether or not you want to be one of them? Being one of these people is a tricky choice since by trying to be like them you may be seen as a threat to their own being. Which brings to the second scenario. When the situation presents itself, should you side with them? Pledging your allegiance will determine your whole lifetime in your department, or perhaps, even your entire career. But be wise in your choice. Should you fall out of grace with them, they will not only make sure that you will go down, they might even make sure that you get out.

A naive person who has just entered into the professional world may say that he would try his best to stay away from office politics. But sooner rather than later, he will find out that that is simply crap.