Posting for a guy I went to school with and am friendly with. He wasn’t the wisest guy few years ago and got charged with and convicted of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. It was weed, which is illegal in Texas. He was sentenced to 20years in state prison but was paroled after 7 years. I don’t condone what he did and he knows it was stupid. In prison, he got a degree in accounting. Maybe not the most lucrative choice since his criminal record will hinder him from many finance jobs.
He got a job in Accounts Payable at a midsized company upon his release. He’s unsure whether the company ran a background check and just disregarded his conviction or they failed to do so. A few months in, a coworker of his looked him up for unknown reasons and found his mugshot and case details. She proceeded to tell everyone, after which the coworkers avoided him like the plague. Coworkers spoke to HR and said they don’t want to associate themselves with a druggie and a criminal. About a dozen employees threatened to quit unless he was fired. The company fired him.
He got another job at a CPA firm, making good money, arguably a step up. He was gonna buy his first house when the coworkers of this new job again found out about his conviction and raised hell, saying they didn’t feel safe being around a criminal and that this isn’t the kind of person the firm should employ. He was given the option to resign or be fired. He quit.
Now he us at the third job he’s about to be let go from. He’s been at this one 4 months now and is worried that these short stints and previous jobs will look negatively to future employers.
Seems like his only option is to go into a field that’s ex-con friendly, like construction of trades?
For the record, conditions of his parole include frequent drug tests. He is also not allowed to drink alcohol. He ha not done any drugs and used no alcohol since his release. These situations weren’t prompted by anyone suspicious of him being drunk/high at work.
Further, this is a big city. We’re not in a small town where people would know each other.
Does he have any other options besides leaving white collar jobs and moving to trades?