I'm a commercial lighting technician a few months into my 2nd year apprenticeship. I've wanted to move into the electrical side for some time and finally found a small family owned company that seemed like a good fit. I was very clear and upfront that the majority of work experience was commercial lighting, not residential electric. They said that was fine, they offer on the job training and could start me at $25/h.
After 3 days they cut my pay to $20 due to a lack of understanding all the residential terminology. I thought about leaving, but I was determined to prove that just because I didn't know the technical name for everything, that didn't mean I hadn't installed it before. I argued with the owner saying that much of a pay cut was harsh, since I wasn't a first year and could handle the work. He said we'll talk after a month and see how you've been doing.
I knew I could do the work they expected of me, so I put my nose to the grindstone and tried to be the very best employee I could be. A month to the day, I called my boss after my shift ended. He immediately declined and messaged “Please text me.” I figured he was busy so I apologized for messaging at 5:30 on a Friday night, and that I was looking forward to the 1 month review on Monday. I wished him a good weekend and went home. No response from him. After my shift on Monday I called him after work to see if we could set up a time to talk. He sent me to his wife, who said she'll get back to me.
Later that night I get a text asking me to come to the shop in the morning, and to bring all my uniforms. When I showed up I was let go on the spot for being pushy and entitled. The owner said he didn't believe I would be satisfied with not getting a raise, so he was letting me go preemptively.
To be fair he was right, I was planning on putting in my two weeks the second I had a better offer. I am (was) the only employee without a company vehicle, even though I was able to do all the work that was expected of me. I ran wire through nail infused 140° attics and muddy crawlspaces no bigger than 2 feet tall, all while making less than my coworkers doing the same work.
Hope your Tuesday mornings are going better.