Five Eye-Opening Lessons I Learned from Being Fired from My First Job

14 Jan 2025 #career

I was fired from my first job. 10+ years ago.

My first job taught me A LOT. I had 0 hours of flight time. Everything was new to me. I had to learn about the job and to navigate the corporate world at the same time. But I was fired.

Yes, fired. Not laid off. Fired. Same result, different cause.

Did I deserve it? Probably. Did I learn something? Sure.

Here are five lessons I learned from that:

1. You could lose your job at anytime

It’s obvious now. But it wasn’t 10+ years ago.

I was fired. But you could also lose your job for reasons you don’t control. A pandemic, a recession, or a layoff. Or your company gets acquired and extinguished. It’s outside of your control.

When I was in university, I thought being an employee was the safest route. Starting a company was for crazy people. I was sooo wrong. I only needed to be fired once to change my mind.

What’s truly safe? What you build for yourself: a side business, a rental property, or an investment portfolio.

Build something you can’t be fired from…Well, Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, so handle with care.

2. Job offers aren’t published anywhere

A couple of weeks after losing my job, I was interviewing for a small company in my city.

On the day I left, I had a conversation with my direct boss. Ex-boss, at that point. I don’t remember exactly what we talked about. I don’t know what he saw in me either. Maybe he saw his younger self across the desk that day. But he made a couple of phone calls and arranged an interview for me. It was a lucky day for me after all.

My first job wasn’t advertised anywhere. I got it because I knew someone who knew someone. And my next job wasn’t advertised either. Again I knew someone who knew someone.

Our world is moved by connections. By knowing someone who knows someone. Make an extra effort to build your professional network.

Your network is your most valuable asset.

3. Accept the rules or disagree with your feet

Talent and hard work aren’t shortcuts to avoid corporate rules.

There was a new rule at work. I didn’t like it. But I was naive to think anyone would ask me if I liked it and was willing to follow it. HR? My boss? My boss’ boss? Of course, nobody did.

I was wrong to believe my hard work would exempt me from that rule. Not following that new rule got me fired in the end.

A job is a game with rules you don’t control. And you have no voice when those rules change. Either you accept those rules or disagree with your feet. Trying to negotiate has no results. And not following them…well, now you know what happened to me.

4. Listen to your body, it might be telling you something

It sounds like a cliché. But listen to your body and look for small clues.

Don’t want to get out of bed to work multiple days in a row? Do Sunday evenings make you anxious anticipating next Monday morning? Your body might be telling you something.

At some point in my first job, I felt like I was leaving my life behind, sitting at a computer. I was demotivated and disengaged. My morning alarm was torture.

I didn’t listen to my body. I kept doing the same expecting change without doing anything. The next time I forgot to listen to my body years later, I got burned out and eventually sick.

Every time I need to make a change in my life, my body tells me when it’s time. “I feel it in my fingers…I feel it in my toes…”

5. Always have an exit plan

I jumped and left my first job with no plan at all.

By not making my own plan, I let society choose a plan for me: work hard, get promoted, and get a 3-5% raise every year. Wait to retire. Then, die.

Take a moment to find out what you want and value the most for your career. Money? Connections? Recognition? Growth? Then, choose the jobs and places that take you closer to that.

Don’t let others decide by going on auto-pilot. Have your own exit plan. Always.

Parting Thought

After many years, I realized my first job was a launching platform. It put me in the right moment, next to the right people. It started a chain of events that brought me to where I’m now.

At my first job, I learned some of my most valuable career lessons. The world isn’t what my teachers told me in university. I had to learn and figure out things on my own. I started my financial journey by making my first deposit into an investment account. I got my first real hours of flight time. I paid for a family dinner with my money for the first time.

After every ending, there’s a new beginning. Pastures are always greener on the other side.