KING AIR PLT WHO MADE AN INST APCH TO HWD THEN A DIVERT TO SQL ARPT ACROSS THE BAY WHERE WX HAD BEEN RPTED AS VFR IN BRIEFING. PLT ENCOUNTERED MARGINAL WX ON THE DIVERT AND CONTACTED APCH FOR VECTORS.

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A SINGLE PLT VFR TRIP FROM STOCKTON TO SAN CARLOS; CA. THE WX WAS RPTED MARGINAL VFR AT HWD AND VFR AT SQL. THE INTENTION WAS TO SHOOT THE LOC/DME RWY 28 AT HWD AND THEN FLY ACROSS THE BAY TO SQL. THIS IS AN ACCEPTED COMPANY PROC I HAD DONE SUCCESSFULLY BEFORE. AFTER BREAKING OUT ON THE APCH I RECEIVED A TURN; RETURN TO VFR (NO MENTION OF SVFR -- I SHOULD HAVE ASKED) AND FREQ CHANGE FROM TWR. I PROCEEDED TOWARD THE BAY WITH GOOD VISIBILITY. CLOSER TO BAY THOUGH IT APPEARED IMC OVER THE WATER. I ELECTED TO CIRCLE TO MAINTAIN VMC. I CONTACTED HWD TWR; WHO ANSWERED ON 3RD CALL. THEY SAID FIELD HAD GONE BELOW MINIMUM AND THEY COULDN'T HELP ME; TO CONTACT APCH. I DID SO; AND RECEIVED AN IFR CLRNC TO 3000 FT WITH RADAR VECTORS. I ASKED FOR THE VISUAL TO SQL AS I COULD SEE IT IN THE CLR ACROSS THE BAY. APCH COORDINATED WELL SO I COULD GO ACROSS SFO ARRS AT 4000 FT AND THEN PROCEEDED WITH THE VISUAL. APCH IN THE BAY AREA IS GREAT. AGAIN; BEING IFR IS THE ANSWER. TRYING TO SCUD RUN IS A DANGEROUS OPTION -- ESPECIALLY WHEN SANCTIONED/ENCOURAGED BY THE COMPANY TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY. I WAS FOLLOWING COMPANY POLICY TO GO VFR AND SAVE AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE. PRUDENCE AND MY PREFERENCE; WOULD BE IFR FLT TO SQL WITH AN ALTERNATE IF NO VISUAL APCH AVAILABLE. I PROCEEDED AGAINST MY BETTER JUDGEMENT DOING ALL THOSE THINGS YOU READ ABOUT IN ACCIDENT STATISTICS. FORTUNATELY; I HAD GOOD INST SKILLS AND MY BETTER SENSE TOOK OVER; BETTER LATE THAN NEVER. WHEN I CALLED IN AND BRIEFED MY BOSS; I ASSUMED I'D RECEIVE A CHEWING OUT. PERHAPS MORE FRIGHTENING; I WAS TOLD THAT AT 800 FT AGL I HAD '60 SECONDS TILL IMPACT WITH THE WATER -- LOTS OF TIME; PEOPLE FLY KING AIR'S INVERTED AT LESS THAN THAT' DIRECT QUOTE. AND SINCE I WAS NEW TO THE AREA (HERE 3 MONTHS); HE WOULD FLY WITH ME AND TEACH ME ABOUT FOG. WHEN I HUNG UP; ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS THE OUTFIT IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY WHERE THE NTSB FIRST RECOGNIZED MGMNT PHILOSOPHY AS AN ACCIDENT CAUSAL FACTOR. I FLY FOR A COMPANY WITH A FEW PLTS WHO SELF-PROCLAIM TO BE 'THE BEST KING AIR DRIVERS IN THE WORLD.' AS A NEW PLT I FEEL IMMENSE PRESSURE TO PROVE MYSELF. MY SOLUTION IS TO FILE IFR MORE; STRIFE TO BE THE 'SAFEST' PLT AND FIND ANOTHER JOB ASAP.