got fired for the second time in two months.
I joined a local union for HVAC and have gotten two opportunities. The first one, I was let go on my second day after training, and that brought me down a lot.
I decided to join a local family-owned company that is part of the union. I met with the owners, who are in their 70s, and told them that I had gone to HVAC school, how expensive it was, and how determined I was to learn. I told them I was willing to start as soon as I finished school because I would be 100% available.
I also had a trip planned with my father. It was one year after my mom passed away, and we wanted to go out and spend some time together and bond. The trip had been planned for about six months. They wanted me to start as soon as possible, so they agreed to have me work Monday through Wednesday and then come back the following week.
I started my first week by watching the guy training me. As I watched him work, everything was starting to make sense. I went on vacation, came back, and was going to start working more independently.
I would ask him questions to make sure I was doing things correctly, and sometimes he would say, “Are you asking me or telling me?” I ask a lot of questions because that is how I learn. Maybe he was getting annoyed by it, but I’m not sure.
The last day I worked with him, I asked him if something I was doing was correct. He told me to do it, and I ended up blowing a fuse that cost about $3. That was the only actual mistake I made.
He would also ask me about different parts, and I would get some of them wrong or mix up two out of seven parts. However, I was starting to understand them, and by my last day, I was beginning to realize what everything was.
The HR lady asked me how I was doing, and I told her that I was getting 10% better every day. I was showing up on time, putting in effort, and getting better and better throughout training.
After work on Thursday, I got a text telling me to take Friday off because the guy training me was only working a half day. I thought it was weird, but I brushed it off because she told me to come back Monday.
Then on Friday, I got a text saying, “Come in at 9. The boss wants to meet with you.”
I said okay. I went on Indeed and saw that the job posting was back up, so I called the boss and asked if we could just cut to the chase and if he could let me know what was going on right then.
He told me that he wanted me to get more experience with tools and ladders. I may have forgotten some tool names, but I knew how to use them. At the end of the day, I had done three furnaces by myself.
I don’t understand how they want me to have more experience when I told them I had gone to school and that I was looking for a company where I could continue learning and be trained their way.
Maybe this trade just isn’t made for me, and I wasted $20,000 on school.
He wants to meet me by my house, give me my check, and pick up the uniforms.
Is this even worth my time? I want to know if I’m getting paid for a full two weeks, especially since we are going into the slow season and not many places are hiring.
I’m starting to think poorly of myself because I really, really try. It’s embarrassing and humiliating to be fired twice, especially when I genuinely want to learn and succeed.
I have $12,000 saved up, and I honestly don’t know what to do.
I promised my mom I was going to do something good with my life and decided to pursue this and just feel like a total failure to her and my dad and everyone around me. Everyone is proud of me when I get a job but it all falls apart
