So I got FIRED yesterday...

[princephoenix]

I got hired as a tech artist at a gaming company 10 months ago and for a while I thought I was on top of the world because I was making 55k a year. However that all came crashing down yesterday when I returned from my family vacation and was told right before clocking out time that I was getting the pink slip. No warning, NOTHING.

I'll admit I was devastated and shocked for a few hours, but now I realize that I technically have all the free time in the world to get back to getting my life back on the fastlane. I got sidetracked by the slowlane for a while and forgot about what I really wanted in life. I decided that I was sick of making someone else rich. (I got to watch my CEO arrive to work every morning with his wife in a limo.)

My question to you guys is, have you ever gotten fired? How did you get over it and how long did it take? Also, did you just ended up getting another gig or is that when you finally started your own biz?

 

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[Cyberseraph]

My question to you guys is, have you ever gotten fired? How did you get over it and how long did it take? Also, did you just ended up getting another gig or is that when you finally started your own biz?

Are you kidding? I fired my boss. When I handed in my resignation letter, it was the best day of my life!
There are many examples of people who became entrepreneurs because they had been laid off or fired from a job and suddenly had to find a way to pay the bills.

 

[Vigilante]

Congrats. Allow yourself 24 hours to be stung, and then move on. Never forget what it feels like to have your destiny in the hands of someone who doesn't give a shit if you live or die. You will survive through this window and come out the other side stronger, and hopefully vow to never be in that vulnerable place again.

 

[458]

55k per year and crashing down should not be in the same sentence...

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

@Coalission got fired. I think he will now report it was the best day of his life.

I got hired as a tech artist at a gaming company 10 months ago and for a while I thought I was on top of the world because I was making 55k a year.

It's easy to be swayed by comfort. $55K/year is probably great for comfort, but it does nothing for those seeking a Fastlane escape.

 

[chrischapman]

never got fired but i know the feeling.

i remember i was 15 and I had one of my window cleaning clients (a business) tell me my work was crap and they said they didn't want me to clean their windows anymore. i remember thinking to myself "oh man, this feels like a kick in the guts. this is what it must feel like to get fired"

the beauty of having a business: the next weekend i went on a sales spree and landed another 3 new clients.

nonetheless, getting fired (or at least what i felt) feels bad, but for a wise person it is an opportunity. i hope you havent taken on a bunch of slowlane bills and consumer debt you have to pay for.

all the best mate.

 

[csalvato]

I got hired as a tech artist at a gaming company 10 months ago and for a while I thought I was on top of the world because I was making 55k a year. However that all came crashing down yesterday when I returned from my family vacation and was told right before clocking out time that I was getting the pink slip. No warning, NOTHING.

I'll admit I was devastated and shocked for a few hours, but now I realize that I technically have all the free time in the world to get back to getting my life back on the fastlane. I got sidetracked by the slowlane for a while and forgot about what I really wanted in life. I decided that I was sick of making someone else rich. (I got to watch my CEO arrive to work every morning with his wife in a limo.)

My question to you guys is, have you ever gotten fired? How did you get over it and how long did it take? Also, did you just ended up getting another gig or is that when you finally started your own biz?

A few months back I was supplementing my income by doing consulting for a previous employer.

One day they called. Said that they couldn't pay me $2.5k/month anymore because their budget was tight, and I wasn't necessary. I truly wasn't necessary, so I understood.

Two weeks before that, my grandmother died. I spent 6 weeks helping to take take care of my family, and put business on hold. To me, that's what being an entrepreneur is about. But amidst that turmoil, I lost my most lucrative revenue stream. It sucked bad.

It forced me to step things up a notch. Those first few months were tough. It's still tough. I was flailing, and still am in some ways. I started throwing a lot of stuff at the wall and seeing what stuck. A lot of it didn't. I wasted a lot of cash. I even applied for new jobs.

But in the past 30 days, one of my small businesses scaled from $500 in July to on-target-revenues of $1500+ in August.

If I can continue this trend, I'll be financially independent by year's end. That's what I am going whole-hog on.

Being fired can be a blessing but it sure doesn't feel that way at the time. Your environment is going to change now, whether you like it or not. Make sure you fill your new one with winners.

Hope that helped.

 

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[Testament]

Congratulations!! I was fired from my job last month. Had to be one of the best feelings I've ever had before! I was working 10-14 hour days, every day, sometimes 6 days a week! I don't have a car either, so transit took me an hour each way...and, if I was lucky, I had just enough time to get in a full 6 hours of sleep as soon as I got home. It was hell - literally nothing but waking up, going to work immediately, doing hard manual labor 10-14 hours, then go home and immediately go to sleep just to start it all up again...then I got fired.

You better believe I was skipping home singin' "I'm Walking On Sunshine" the whole way.

Now I'm working as a marketing intern for a start up, and every day I work I get to learn more about the art I've come to love, and also getting a bird's eye view into the way a start up is run. I'm learning at such a quick pace that the guy who took me on is now bringing me into other start ups to help with their marketing efforts. I never would've gotten the chance to do this if I were still trapped at my old job. Getting fired was probably the best "bad" thing to ever happen to me...certainly up there in my top 10.

I think you'll find in the coming days and weeks, that a huge burden has been lifted off your shoulders.

Were you able to save much money while you worked there, or are finances an issue at the moment? If they are, I'd look for a job in a field where you'll be able to practice a useful skill for your Fastlane. Then you'll be getting a paid education for your future business! And because you'll actually be interested in learning and perfecting your skill for that reason, work won't seem as work-y to you. Win-win!

Get excited man! Who knows what interesting opportunities lie just over the horizon...?

 

[chrischapman]

Congratulations!! I was fired from my job last month.

lol. i love how in the fastlane, people congratulate each other for getting sacked.

screw conventional wisdom, right?

 

[Rcaraway1989]

I got fired in high school for telling my boss how to do her job better. And again after writing a letter to the owner on how she could create better team culture.

I learned I shouldn't be an employee early.

 

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[GuestUser113]

 

[RBefort]

I turned in my 2 weeks and last day is Friday, I made 40-45k a year. Huge weight off shoulders, and a little worried on what is next, but F it. I am free for time being and need to put in serious work on myself. Only reason I am leaving my job is because gf transferred job to where we wnt to college, closer to friends and family (could be bad). I took it as opportunity and an excuse to leave my comfy job. I knew I would never quit if I didnt move with her.

There's just no control whatsoever with jobs. One of reasons we moved was because she had supervisor position lined up in social work...had almost 100% chance to get it....couple days before interview they call her in and say funding for program is no longer available and was cancelled. Now, she is stuck in old position that she dislikes. World is dumb...go and create your own opportunities. Tech artist should have some skills to create on your own through freelance work? Best of luck.

 

[Rawr]

I always saw it as an opportunity to pick a new exciting journey.

 

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[cliff]

Hopefully ou have some saving to fall back on. First thing everyone should do is save 6 mos of income.

 

[GregK]

Congrats! Happened to me five years ago and I focused on building a website and doing a lot of mountain biking. Didn't have Any money but it was a good experience to go through that. Would have rather quit than get fired but oh well.

Took another slow lane job 3 months later and I'm still in it. Taught me a lot about myself and business. Now more than ever do I have the drive to be firing my boss (but I actually like my job). Just need to get a few things put in place and I am off.

All this is great experience and exposure. Don't burn bridges and be positive and productive.

 

[Vigilante]

Hopefully ou have some saving to fall back on. First thing everyone should do is save 6 mos of income.

?
You've been reading Dave Ramsey, haven't you?

By the way, welcome to the forum. Take off your coat and stay a while.

 

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[biggeemac]

See this thread.......

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/fired.47194/#post-289664

 

[Coalission]

Yep, here's my story:

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...-ged-no-college-i-am-doomed-to-failure.50777/

Like MJ said, it was the best day of my life to this point, but I didn't know it at the time. As much as you feel like shit right now, just realize that you were forced to take the first step towards a much better life. Keep that resignation letter in your wallet, or next to your computer, let it motivate you and push you. I haven't gotten mine framed, but I keep it sitting there as a reminder of how like you I used to think I was on top of the world making 60-80k/year or whatever it was in such a "stable" job for one of the big credit card companies. I felt cocky making close $300ish/day, now if I'm only up $300 by the time I wake up it's a bad day, and eventually when I get to where some of the big boys of this forum are, I'll look back and find it cute how successful I think I am now.

Point is, sorry about being forced to stop being an employee, welcome to your new life as a future employER. Time to strap in and get it done.

 

[liquidglass]

I quit back when I started my fastlane journey but guess what, it was the best feeling in the world! I was working my way through grad school and the manager of the retail place I was working despised anyone with a college education because he was insecure. It also didn't help that when I applied the corporate office called and offered me a corporate position straight away. Needless to say they were stunned when I told them I just needed a retail job during my graduate school studies (mainly because of the hours worth of commute the corporate office would run me). Then they basically told him to hire me on the spot no questions asked.

The day I quit, I had nothing firmly lined up, just an opportunity that my soon to be mentor mentioned to me starting at commission only. Needless to say leaving the "security" was the best decision I've ever made and I'd never go back.

trust me you'll see it soon, you have the right mindset, and you'll start seeing the opportunities that abound outside of slavery....I mean job.

 

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[Berters]

@princephoenix You'll do just fine. Let it motivate you, get some work done

@Coalission, I can't view the link (probably because my INSIDERS has run out...), may I ask if you run a product based business now or are you involved in digital marketing? I can't remember.

 

[Coalission]

@princephoenix You'll do just fine. Let it motivate you, get some work done

@Coalission, I can't view the link (probably because my INSIDERS has run out...), may I ask if you run a product based business now or are you involved in digital marketing? I can't remember.

Digital/Affiliate marketing

 

[themaxx]

James has advice for you:
http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/03/10-things-you-need-to-do-if-you-were-fired-yesterday/

 

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[Mzab]

I have been fired, laid off and quit jobs in my life.
Most important thing is not to let it get you down, use it to motivate you to do something better.

 

[RHL]

Grab a beer to celebrate the best day of your life.

 

[AubreyJ]

I have never been fired, but my job I have had for the last 4 years is coming to a close next week- I work for a family and they no longer need me because the kids are getting to old to need someone to watch them/pick them up from school. At first I was sad because the family I work for is like my second family and I am extremely close to them, but as the date is getting closer I am getting really eager and excited to start working on my fastlane business full time.

I am sure getting fired sucks, but use this time to your advantage, and start working on things you otherwise wouldn't have the time to

 

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[rcdlopez]

My question to you guys is, have you ever gotten fired? How did you get over it and how long did it take? Also, did you just ended up getting another gig or is that when you finally started your own biz?

I got fired the same way from my first job too... actually I've been fired that way from ALL my jobs. At my first job things were going well, at least in my own head, and then they called me up and said "We are gonna have to let you go". When I asked "Now why the F*ck so!" (not literally but in my head at least) they said "We need someone with a different skill set."

My response was "Different skill set? WTF does that mean? Are you trying to say I suck? Just tell me straight out I suck, brah!" (Again, didn't actually say that, just thought about saying it).

Then I went home all bummed out cuz they thought I sucked and also because I had just financed a new car 2 days before I got fired, that's God's sense of humor. Anyways, after that I was always prepared to be fired at any point. I realized how easy it was too fall into the rat race. Getting fired helped set me straight and reminded me that a job will ONLY be a means to an end and not a goal.

 

[Nadia]

Got fired 5 times. The last one, I walked out laughing out of the office and took a nice glass cold bottle of sparkling water and thanked the person for releasing me from slavery.

It's a badge of honour.

 

[AKN]

I spent 4 years in college, to be able to do 3 years in university, to take 1½ years to find a 6-figure career, and got fired in 3 months for combining employment with entrepreneurship. Said F*ck this, flew to China to decompress, came back with a renewed sense of purpose.

Made an absolute decision to focus all efforts on building a business, taught myself how to code, put together a team, and executed. Having the rug pulled out from out under you is the worst of times, and the best of times.

 

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[princephoenix]

I got fired the same way from my first job too... actually I've been fired that way from ALL my jobs. At my first job things were going well, at least in my own head, and then they called me up and said "We are gonna have to let you go". When I asked "Now why the F*ck so!" (not literally but in my head at least) they said "We need someone with a different skill set."

My response was "Different skill set? WTF does that mean? Are you trying to say I suck? Just tell me straight out I suck, brah!" (Again, didn't actually say that, just thought about saying it).

Then I went home all bummed out cuz they thought I sucked and also because I had just financed a new car 2 days before I got fired, that's God's sense of humor. Anyways, after that I was always prepared to be fired at any point. I realized how easy it was too fall into the rat race. Getting fired helped set me straight and reminded me that a job will ONLY be a means to an end and not a goal.

I'm almost in this exact same situation, even with the financing of a new car (well used, I'd just bought one of my dream cars). Im sitting wondering if to return it or not but hey I also need it for transportation for my girlfriend and I. She's also stuck in the same situation but she's just as ready to jump in the fastlane and we're already making moves. Thank you guys for all the encouragement. I dont have 6 mons income saved up, but I have a little something. I shall make it work otherwise!

 

[cliff]

I'll elaborate a bit on my earlier post. I turned down a contract with my last employer...I was a professor...good pay, job security, lots of autonomy, etc...but I wasn't happy.

I'd been listening to a lot of podcasts on entrepreneurship prior to this point, and had dabbled in seo a bit. Within two weeks, I'd already replaced my income as a prof...within 6 months I'd tripled it. Needless to say, turning down that new contract was the best business decision I'd ever made. I miss the students and my colleagues, but working from home, on my schedule, makes up for it.

When you have to succeed, you will begin to use your mind and try new things. When you're comfortable, you'll slack...so take some risks, make some cold calls, get off the Internet and set up some meetings...then work like crazy and you'll start getting referrals. Best of luck!