On Getting Fired and Surviving
Everyone should get fired once in their life. I know - crazy, right? But I truly believe that everyone should. We’re taught that it’s something to be ashamed of. That if you got fired, you failed. But what I’ve learned in the last couple of months is that people get fired for all sorts of reasons and sometimes you come out the other side as a better, and much happier, person.
At the end of April, I lost my job. I want to say it was a huge shock, but it wasn’t. I lived most days in fear of getting fired, not because of poor performance, but because of the personal drama my company thrived off of. Coming out of college, “we’re a family first” felt like a great thing. I joined a community where we weren’t forced to grow up. We were just in a college continuation, where we occasionally did work and got paid.
The problem came when the company didn’t grow up, but I did. My vision for my life no longer matched the company’s vision for its employees and conflict arose. I don’t know when I stopped feeling the utmost love and appreciation for my workplace and coworkers, but when it stopped, it was all at once and I never looked back. I wish I could say my departure was amicable. Unfortunately it was anything but, and I’ll always feel bitter after how much of myself I gave to that company.
Getting fired was a shock to the system. I didn’t cry when I was told I was terminated effective immediately. I only cried for a brief moment in the elevators on my way out of the building, while saying “What the fuck just happened?” repeatedly to my friend. I knew it was a blessing in disguise, as I was so unhappy, but I had no idea what to do next. My mom put it the best - “You just start applying again.”, so that’s what I did. Within two weeks, I was employed as a temp and today, only a month later, was told I’m being brought on permanently. I’m at a company that truly appreciates what I bring to the table and is genuinely invested in my success. I guess you can say there was a happily ever after from all of the mess.
As I said earlier, I think everyone should get fired once in their life. Being told you’re not good enough is the hardest thing to hear and definitely hits you where it hurts the most, but it’s what happens after that’s important. You rebuild. You find your sense of self-worth again. You decide if you’re on the right path and if you’re not, you course correct. Remember, as one door closes, another one opens. And if you can’t find a door, there’s probably a window to climb through to the next great thing.
