RE: The Psychic Hotline is BORING Tonight, May As Well Blog For My Income

Fired twice from the same job. My kids make fun of me.

They tried to hire me a third time...

About two years ago I moved back "home" and needed a job to make ends meet. The only thing I could find available that worked for me (9 am - 2pm, no traveling, no bringing work home) was this nasty little job as an "office assistant."

It turns out it was a Court Reporting Agency in the back of a used jewelry shop that buys and sells gold and diamonds. They liked to hire people and pay them $12 an hour. Usually they hired people with no skills who were happy to make minimum wage "without smelling like hamburgers" and trained them.

My first they there, they guy sat me at a desk and told me to "figure out what I could." I googled the system I was sitting in front of, and got to work.

By lunchtime, I was on task, and someone asked if "the new girl" was gonna go get lunch yet.

I responded that I was not a girl, and that I wanted two carne asada tacos from Don Pedro's. It was never suggested that I pick up lunch again. Apparently my position included picking up coffee and dry cleaning. I laughed. No way.

Weeks later I was running the place, and demanding raises. They gave me $16. Waaaay not good enough yet, but good enough to keep me in place. The problem here was that $16 was an outrageous number for them to pay, even though it was painfully obvious that I was well worth it.

I am not so great at being in an office at time, so I wired their phones to ring on my cell, to make sure I never missed any calls if I was late.

This was DEEPLY annoying to my boss because HE WAS PAYING 16 AN HOUR.

I was of course, still treating the job like a part time minimum wage job. Making it work, but not making it my life.

"Can you stay late?"

"Will you pay me overtime?"

"Working 21 hours does not constitute overtime."

"Than no thank you."

To me, staying late meant having to pay a babysitter. I wasn't gonna work to get paid $16 and then pay someone $15 to watch my kids.

Then came "the talk" all of this because $16 an hour was too much for the boss to wrap his head around paying.

I was told that if I couldn't make a commitment,to working more when needed, then I needed to consider other work options.

I told them I would consider other work options.

My attitude was not the best.

I was late the next day (pesky flat tire) and I was told that I would have to quit if I didn't get my commitment straight.

I told him to fire me if he didn't like it.

He said ok then.

I left.

A week later, I got a call, the office was a mess. Because I had turned things upside down to fit my way of working, the Boss could not gather his bearings and was losing lots of money.

They said it was a misinterpretation and that I wasn't really fired, that I had been given a warning. My unemployment was already set for the week, so I "put on my bows"

I asked for $18 an hour.

He had a fit and said yes.

Well, paying $18 an hour for me was still a part time job to make ends meet, and for him was the most generous offer he had ever made.

It worked well for a few weeks and then he brought on new people to "work under me." I am no fool, I knew they were my replacements.

I trained them WELL as best as I could. And they excelled. I taught them customer service, I corrected their grammar, I taught them to make emails easy to read. I told them about dressing different so that they would be taken more seriously. Ripped jeans are OK of course, but if you wear "nice pants" then you are taken more seriously.

After I trained them, I was offered a job as a "consultant" I would be paid my $18 an hour but I would be freelance with no guaranteed hours.

I could start with 5 hours a week.

I smiled and said, no thank you. I was fired.

Weeks later, the people I had trained well had gotten swooped up by other agencies (I told you I trained them well - I also called other court reporting agencies and alerted them to the new awesome employees who only made minimum wage - lol)

They called me back and offered me my job back. I asked for $25 an hour.

I stayed fired.

LOL

This was about 2 weeks before covid hit. The unemployment has not stopped yet.