(Apparently I wrote a lot lol)
For over the past year I've been trying to leave my pervious company where I was an electrician for 5 years. I was tired of the place, overworked/underpaid, working in the elements/attics/crawlspaces, etc. All of which I endured in every job I've had for the past 15 years (I'm 35) but the wear and tear on my body is starting to catch up to me. From being an aircraft mechanic in the USAF to being a cable guy and now an electrician.
Last year in January I went looking and applying for jobs geared more toward what I did in the military. Note that my specific career was loading the bombs and missiles on the jet so it doesn't really transfer well to the civilian world. I got an interview with a contractor at the army base (ugh ) as a ballistics tester. A month goes by and I found out I got the job. Start going through the onboarding process which including getting my security clearance back. I couldn't start without it, so while waiting to hear back about my clearance I get notified that the government closed the opening and they rescinded the job offer. I was crushed, going from $18/HR to $34/HR woulda set my family up really nicely, plus traveling woulda been awesome.
Fast forward to this year (April), I get an interview with a better electrical company. It goes well an he said he would recommend me for one of the positions. So I'm stoked, more money, new things to learn and traveling. Couple weeks go by and I get a follow up call asking some more questions. Then get told that the commercial positions don't open up til end of June. While waiting I get an email outta nowhere from another defense contractor on June 8 asking me to come in for an interview in 7 days. I'm ecstatic! I interview and they love me. I left thinking I got the job and I did 2 days later. So I start the onboarding process and everything checked out so I had a start date of July 1. Put in my notice and enjoyed a couple days off. I go in that Friday and started orientation. She tells me that my drug screen hasn't comeback yet, so I'm worried. Truthfully I smoke weed everyday but stopped when I got the weekend after I got the email. I was doing what I could, drink tons of water, exercise. The process moved so fast that I ended up only 12 days until I took that test. Guess I didn't do enough cuz I got a call from the testing place after I had left the office saying I tested positive. I email the HR lady explaining what's happening and why. Like to try to get ahead of it and be upfront. Get an email back saying it's a zero tolerance policy and I've been terminated. Start and fired the same day. My last msg to them was that they were throwing a good candidate away over some weed and I couldn't get clean in time.
So now I'm unemployed, angry, depressed. I called the other electrical company and they said they're backed up cuz the HR guy retired and they got someone new so be patient. I also got in contact with my local electricians union and have an interview on Monday. Put in applications at other places. Would love to go back to school using my GI bill but I need to get my discharge from general (under honorable) to full honorable. Gonna be some time before I hear back from the Air Force. I'll be fine, I've survived this long and always will. Thank you reading if you stayed to end lol.