Project’s Not Done, But I’m About To Be

I’ve been working on a project for a week. The client told me they need it by the end of the month.

Client: “Is it done yet?”

Me: “No.”

Client: “But it’s the deadline!”

Me: “What? You didn’t tell me that. You said it needed to be done by the end of the month.”

Client: “Yeah, but we have an internal policy to set aside two weeks for review before something goes live.”

Me: “But I’m not internal.”

Client: “You should have researched our policies before you took this job. That’s what it means to be a professional.”

I came very close to being ACTUALLY unprofessional at that moment.