How many jobs have you had in your lifetime?

Student

 

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Nine jobs.

 

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Can you give a narrative of one of your worst firings?

 

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not sure..i have been fired so many times,its like no big deal any more..

lets see..once the lead carpenter told me to screw down a 1/4 inch plywood for a backing for vinyl flooring,he gave me sheet metal screws instead of wood screws, then we put the vinyl flooring down and when the glue set,it had pulled the screws out of the floor so it buckled and looked like huge bubbles in the floor..the boss fired me for it..i told the boss about the screws but the lead carpenter told the boss that it was my fault...the boss would not listen to me..

there have been other jobs that i lost because another blamed me for the screw up,even though it wasn't my fault...(several were like the previous, the other told me to do it that way,and that way was wrong, and i got blamed for it..)

I have been told that i do not pay attention to detail,that i tend to do what i want rather than what the boss wants..(see above for my reasoning for that one..)this one usually translates to failure to follow directions.

another const job, boss chose a new lead carpenter and that carpenter immediately fired me because he didn't like me..(funny because a few years later he hired me to fix his roof..at that time he was no longer doing construction)

another job i got fired from because i refuse to come in at 10 pm and fix something..(boss said 'I don't know what you screwed up, i just know you screwed something up'....he was drunk..)

another simply said 'you can't do anything right'...

most tend to use PC reasons..(reasons that can't be argued with..IE, budget cuts,don't need you anymore,different direction etc..)

 

NM, as a Carpenter shouldn't you know the right way to do these basic things?

I'd never put down plywood backing with sheet metal screws and I'm hardly a carpenter.

 

In our litigious society, people are afraid to tell the truth anymore. Nevertheless, clearly you're doing something wrong if you keep getting fired over and over again. Not every boss is an asshole, and it's a pain in the ass to train new people so even assholes don't just fire people for no reason.

Surely you must have some friends among your former co-workers. See if any of them can offer a clue as to the real reason for you getting fired.

Meanwhile, my grandfather gave me some advise that might help. Whenever you start a new job, bust your ass the first few weeks. Really put in the extra effort to be a model employee. Show up a few minutes, early, stay late if needed, do the shit jobs nobody else wants.

Before too long, you'll have the reputation of being a good employee. After that, even of you slack off a bit, the boss won't notice it as much because he already knows that you're a hard worker.

 

yes i know the right way to do things..but when the boss tells you to do it this way..what are ya supposed to do??

If i were to argue, i would get the 'i'm the boss you do it my way' attitude..
if i do it my way, i get in trouble..when i do it their way, i get in trouble..

no win situation...

 

Clearly there is something wrong..not that i am doing something wrong..
like i said , if there were a common denominator it would be easier to work out what I was doing wrong..since there is no common denominator , i have to believe that my ADHD contributes to it..since most dont even know ADHD when they see it..they just see that something is wrong with that person..then they find an excuse to fire them..

your screwed up, i don't want to deal with it..your fired...

do you really think ANYONE would use this line?
hence the inconsistency in the reasons for me being fired..

I have tried this..it ends up being like i said..cause i'm messed up..that's as far as ppl will go to answer..
(i have not met a single person in my life who has not asked me "what is wrong with you?")

been there,done that..it worked for a bit..then we are back to 'what is wrong with you?....

 

Well the Boss didn't tell you to use Sheet Metal Screws, according to your story the lead Carpenter just gave them to you.

You didn't say you questioned the lead Carpenter, because if you had, I can't believe he would say to use them anyway because sheet metal screws won't sit flush, while the conical heads of a wood screw will self countersink.

No in this case the Boss might have believed you were given the wrong screws but still held you accountable for using them.

The SOLUTION, in this case was to go get the right screws for the job and use them. If you had, the ply would have stayed down and no one would have been the wiser, and you wouldn't have gotten fired.

Just like your messy painting.
There's no problem with being messy when you paint, IF you first tape and cover and put down drop clothes.

You need to compensate for your problem since it isn't going away, by taking steps to be proactive.

 

for all intents and purposes i am using 'boss' to refer to the lead carpenter also..
and when i use the term sheet metal screw i am referring to fine threaded black screws.

i had been on the job for 1 week, he had been on the job for 4 years..who do you think the boss is gonna listen to..my responsibility at that time was to do as i was told..I did..i got screwed..

like i said..consistency..if their is no consistency, compensating becomes hit and miss..

you are trying hard to not admit that my ADHD is severe enough to cause problems..
why is that?
is it such a thing to validate my condition?
is it gonna cause the world to end?

 

No I'm not.
I said you need to learn to do things to compensate for your condition.
You seem resistant to the idea however.

Well it has a lot of impact on you if you don't learn to adjust.

 

pry because i have been there, done that, and it doesn't work..
if it ain't one thing..its another..
no matter what i do to compensate, they will always find another excuse..

after 50 jobs, and many attempts to 'compensate' i have learned to adjust by filing for disability and staying out of everyone's way, staying home and helping my daughter to be a more productive citizen than i can be..(so far she has been doing better than me..) and by helping to raise my granddaughter maybe i can help her to be better than her mom..(no insult to her mom intended)

this is what i enjoy, this is what i am good at,

<edit> once apon a time, this would be acceptable..why is it not now?

 

I'm not in a position to judge you, and besides, if you are ok with where you are what you do with your time, why do you care what others think?

 

its when what others think influence my life..

EG what you have all expressed i have heard from the disability office (6 yrs ago when i applied)..

it is what others think that will determine whether i will be approved for disability or not..(i do have lawyers this time..)

 

Have you considered opening a daycare business? It sounds like it's something that you would be good at.

 

Or going off on your own as a carpenter?

 

Good luck with that.

You seem like you are perfectly capable of working to me.

My guess is the disability office sees it the same way.

 

capable of working..yes..capable of holding a job..no..

and i have started my own construction company..had a contracting license.

economy killed that..(it was headed for death anyway,bad bookkeeping)..no repeat customers..was in business for 6 years(longest job i have ever had)...jobs were like two weeks for every three months..there is more to being in business than just being able to put a kitchen/bathroom together..(same with babysitting)(see over regulated and over litigated)

and the lawyer says it is dependent on the doctors assessment, and she says she is on my side..(although the first determination did not consult the doctor.)

 

Which proves you can work.

The ADHD issues you can overcome, but you have to work at that as well.

 

there is more to working than just swinging a hammer..