On one of my first IFR flights, my filed route ended JFK‑COL‑KBLM but Clearance told me to drop the Colts Neck VOR (COL) and go direct KBLM after JFK. Later, passing over JFK, I made my turn direct to KBLM as cleared. This was my last waypoint, so as I made this final turn towards KBLM, I proudly noted to myself that I hadn’t made any mistakes and had sounded like a seasoned instrument pilot for the whole flight. At this exact moment the extremely busy controller, seeing which direction I was heading said with a hint of annoyance: “N225VT feel free to turn towards Colts Neck VOR whenever you’re ready.”
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/features/shortfinal/short-final-waypoint