That's a very naive viewpoint - if you present your boss with the reality of the situation, that you put off completing the project to rewrite code you've already written because you weren't happy with the results and have some vague idea that some future programmer might struggle to read it, s/he's going to look for someone who can deliver.
While you and I know that refactoring is the right thing to do, the customer/manager isn't going to say "by all means, delay completion of the project in pursuit of improvements to parts of the system that only you have to deal with". They don't see/understand the code so naturally they don't care about its state.
[note]
Obviously this is a blanket statement but it's been applicable to me and I'm sure others have experienced similar.
After a few years, you realize that if nobody wants your right thing, it isn't the right thing for business, and you have to decide if you want to resign and pursue your art with intellectual integrity, or keep working in the sausage factory that generates revenue.
If the guy who made my lunch sandwich put as much pride and care into his product as we all want to, which lasts about as long as the average modern software application, it would cost $50 and I wouldn't want to buy it.
> it would cost $50 and I wouldn't want to buy it.
I think that's a false dichotomy. There's the $6 Subway option and the hypothetical $50 perfectionist option, but you can also get a really amazing sandwich near here for $9. They make something they're proud of, and it costs more than Subway, but it's worth it.
While you and I know that refactoring is the right thing to do, the customer/manager isn't going to say "by all means, delay completion of the project in pursuit of improvements to parts of the system that only you have to deal with". They don't see/understand the code so naturally they don't care about its state.
[note] Obviously this is a blanket statement but it's been applicable to me and I'm sure others have experienced similar.