Obligatory, “This was years ago” 2015? I think. This story has a happy ending, and is meant for all those struggling with self worth due to the lies spit from a fuckhead of a boss.
I was working in an internet provider helpdesk call center, I was actively shotgunning my resume everywhere for a years time. One day I got an offer from 2 jobs at once. Both offered the same jobs (managed service provider helpdesk), same pay, same benefits. One was work from home. I worked from home. That job didn't work out, 4 months later I called the 2nd place job offer and asked if it was still available. Unbeknownst to me at the time, they just canned the guy they hired instead of me, he had some issues. Not only did they hire me straight away but even gave me $2/hr more than their first offer…great!
Fast forward 2 years
The Cool Old Owner had some family issues that needed his full attention, He sold the company. New owner guy gave everyone raises. Great start. 4 months later, new owner guy cut everyone's pay to below what they started at with old cool owner guy. Not cool.
For 1 year new owner would berate us and say that he had ” A stack of candidates the MCSE certifications lined up at the door waiting for our jobs”
I realize now that this was BS, but at the time..that was my job, that was paying my bills. I was still making more money than I had at my previous job. So I dealt with it.
More and more I realized what made me a good Systems Admin. I had good skills, a good analytical style, and damnit our clients liked me. That was the most important…soft skills.
I talked to my manager at the time, cool guy, was brought in by new owner to manage the place. He told me flat out what I should be making, and that if I wasn't happy I should look elsewhere. I was making 35k/yr and should have been making closer to 50k/yr. I asked New Owner for a raise, and was denied.
Here was the big problem, me. I believed what new owner was saying. I thought I was replaceable, and didn't amount to anything. I was nothing better than a call center helpdesk guy (nothing wrong with that position, it is a fantastic place to start learning IT)
3 more months went by and I was always lurking on a job board site and I always saw the same job, same small company, never thought I had a shot. But the job was always there. And something clicked. New owner didn't have a stack of resumes that were overqualified. I was part of the hiring process. I had personally witnessed dozens of hopefuls walk in and flunk the interview. An interview that I could have aced while drunk off my ass.
I figured if new owner guy was having bad luck, so was this other place. So I applied.
I got a response
I called in sick that day and went to the interview. Here is where God just wanted to fuck with me in the biggest, not cool, way possible.
The interview was supposed to be with the owner, and lead engineer. The owner was sick that day, so it was just me, and the head of engineers.
To say that this guy is a robot with no soul is an understatement.
He asked questions that only he knew the answers to. To test how I would work through a problem. Despite knowing this, it still felt terrible not being able to solve a problem. He wouldn't tell me if I was on the right track or not, just stared….and stared. At the end, he said they would call me if they wanted a second interview.
I went home a broken man. I was garbage, I was a terrible tech, I was just a level 1 helpdesk worker who was replaceable.
The owner that had missed the interview called me back the next day.
“Hey so the Head of Engineers really liked you”
What the? dot dot dot
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Are you sure you have the right number….I didn't say that. Years later the office manager would show me a written test I took on the first interview, that I have no recollection of, but it was my handwriting. I must have blacked out somewhere during the interview from pure anxiety.
Long story short, I called in sick again, went for the second interview, the owner is a normal human being with human emotions, and I knocked that meeting out of the park.
Not only did they offer me a job, they offered me a job at over DOUBLE my current pay which ended up being $65k/yr and change.
Put in my two weeks and never looked back.
Months later I had lunch will cool manager guy. They had to hire 3 people to cover for my experience level and the work I did. Then he said one of the most haunting things I have ever heard. Quote New Owner, “If I had just given him a small raise, he never would have been looking for a new job”
…
..
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It took 2 years to fully clear myself of the mental poison that guy put in me. I know now I am a goddamned wizard when it comes to my job, and I will not stand for anyone trying to convince me otherwise. Today I am a Systems Architect and making $105k/yr. Maybe less than I should be, but the QoL I have, and the freedoms offered by my position are priceless.