Sad but true- I got fired from my very
first job after just two weeks. Well, technically I didn't even last two weeks-
I got canned after a week and six days. Hey, my name is Kevin, and this is my
story. Enough time has gone by now, that I can kind of laugh about it, so here it is,
for your entertainment: how I got fired from my first job in less than two weeks.
It was supposed to be a carefree summer. I was 16 years old and lovin life. My
parents believed kids should have fun while they still could, while they didn't
have any responsibilities so they never really made me work, but I really wanted
to get a car. My dream was this older blue BMW convertible that was affordable
but still looked really sweet. I knew they would never buy me one, so when a
nearby office started advertising for summer help, I figured as my perfect
opportunity. Mom and Dad thought I should lifeguard at the pool, but this paid way
better, so eventually they gave in and let me apply. I had to go in for an
interview, so I got myself uncomfortably dressed up in khakis and a button-down.
My Mom drove me there, and I remember saying how close the office was to our
house. The interviewer asked me all these different questions, all about my work ethic and my motivation. How was I supposed to know? I got okay grades and
my teachers liked me, but I never even had a job before. I mean, the most my
parents ever made me do was clean up my room and take out the trash.
Oh and I sometimes help with the dishes after dinner. That's it. That was my "work
experience". Anyway, I don't know how- maybe not many people applied?- but somehow I
got the job! I couldn't believe it! The lady on the phone didn't really say
what my role would be, besides "supporting the team" but I started on
Monday. On Sunday night I was so nervous I couldn't sleep. I just laid in bed
tossing and turning until it was finally time to get up. I choked out some
cornflakes and got on my bike pedaling furiously down to the office.
Unfortunately, it was farther away than I thought. It seemed much closer when
we were driving. I rode as fast as I could, but by the time, I locked up my
bike outside, and made it into the lobby, I was bright red,
sweaty, and 15 minutes late. The receptionist told me to head up to the
8th floor, adding: "Aren't you late by the way? On
your first day?" with the disapproving smirk. I felt my face get even redder and
walked toward the elevator. "You can't take the elevator!" she called after me.
"You need to take the stairs!" SERIOUSLY?! I was already late and sweaty,
now I had to walk up seven flights of stairs?!
What kind of company didn't let the employees take the elevators? Or was she
trying to teach me a lesson to be mean? I didn't know. I just sighed and took the
stairs. By the time, I arrived up to the eighth floor I wasn't sweaty anymore... I
was a walking Niagara Falls! On the eighth floor, my boss was waiting for me.
I can immediately tell that he was not happy. He introduced himself. And then
suddenly asked "You know punctuality is very important for us, right?!" "Sure." I said.
I mean, what kind of question is that? Pretty obvious, I was already off to a
bad start. Thing is, at the time I didn't realize HOW bad. Who knew it was so horrible
to be a little late on your first day- I figured it was like school and people
were late all the time, so no one would care. Well, the company was producing
precision metal parts for automotive industry. Thinking back, I guess that was
part of the reason why they were so strict about punctuality, reliability, and
all that. Anyway, after that I got briefed about my role (finally!) I'd be doing some
basic research online, doing errands like getting coffee and food for everyone, and
some other stuff the staff didn't have time for, like changing the cartridge in
the printer. It didn't sound as exciting as I thought, but hey, it was gonna buy me
that sweet BMW so who cared really? Luckily, nothing else went wrong on that
first day, (besides being late and annoying the receptionist and my boss). The next day...
that was a different story. I had to go around taking everybody Starbucks orders
and trust me -these people were seriously nuts! Macchiato,
Frappuccino, half shots, double shots, almond milk, whipped cream- you name it. I
didn't drink coffee in those days, so I had no idea what they were talking about.
I tried the best I could but I definitely
messed up a few things. I thought no one would notice: coffee is coffee, right? But
it turned out, that the lady who asked for almond milk, actually had a pretty bad
lactose intolerance, so she had to go home, because she got so sick after
having morning coffee. Everyone realized pretty quickly that I had messed up on
the milk -that really got me in trouble. I hadn't realized how serious it could
have been- what if she'd been allergic to dairy instead of just lactose-intolerant?
I could have put her in the hospital. The whole almond milk incident freaked me
out, and the more nervous I got, the more mistakes I made. It was a mess. I dropped
stacks of strictly arranged papers all over the floor, and then I had to go back
to the person who gave them to me, and asked him to put them in order again... I
got frazzled and filed things in the wrong places, and once, I hung up on a
super important client I was supposed to be putting on hold because I pressed the
wrong button. I could tell everyone was getting annoyed with me... but none of
those things were what got me fired...So, now it's my 13th morning on the job...
lucky 13. I'm running late again... I swear it wasn't my fault! My alarm didn't go
off even though - even now -I'm sure I set it! Anyway, I get to the lobby downstairs (sweaty
and red again! Not a good look...) and I am SO relieved to see that the receptionist
isn't at her desk. One less person to judge me for running late. All I have to
do is fly off the steps when... suddenly the elevator catches my eye. No one's
around to tell me not to...and it' would be so much faster than taking the stairs!
Perfect! I hop into the elevator and punched the button for the eighth floor.
The light flashes and the door is closed. I enjoy like one blissful second of
moving peacefully upwards, when suddenly the elevator jolts to a stop. What??? I
pushed the eighth floor button a couple more times and- nothing happens. It
doesn't even light up. What the heck??? See, what I didn't realize was that the
receptionist wasn't telling me not to use the elevator because she didn't like
me -she was telling me because it hadn't been working properly, and they were
waiting for the maintenance guy to come and fix it. There was even a sign taped to the elevator door saying: "Do not use" but I was always in such a distracted
brush that I didn't even notice. So, how did I get out? After five minutes of
waiting, and literally pushing every single button like five times, I had to
press the emergency button. Yeah, you know the one -the one you think you'll
never have to push. The receptionist was absolutely furious- she had been gone
just long enough to go to the bathroom- and then I had to wait in there for two
hours while the elevator was gently lowered, so they could pry the doors open
and rescue me. I almost peed my pants. Needless to say, I was fired. I'd already
done so many things wrong and then there was this elevator "thing". The company was
charged a lot for rescuing me by the lift management company. Honestly, I was
lucky that I was just a kid they couldn't make ME pay for it. My boss
said he thought I wasn't ready for a job like this, and honestly, I agreed
with him- besides, I was just happy not to be stuck in an elevator anymore. I
spent the rest of the summer of mowing lawns, and doing yard work for cash, and
playing video games, and hanging out with my friends. Even though the job won't
lasted a couple weeks, it was a massive relief to not be so stressed out all the
time. My parents felt kinda bad for me, but they agreed it was a great life lesson.
Now I'm 18, and I'm about to begin a job at a different company. The new company
is on the ground floor of their building, so won't have any issues with the
elevator this time at least. By the way, I'm still saving up for my dream BMW and
I know I'll get it eventually. Good thing is it's a used car, so it's
getting cheaper and cheaper every year. How about you? Have you had a job or an
internship that didn't go as well as expected? What happened?
Were you fired? Let me know in the comments below. If you enjoyed my story
please, give it a like and subscribe to our channel for more crazy stories!
Thanks for watching!
