Many years ago, I worked for a super store that rhymes with higher. I was a senior in high school and this was my first job. Overall the job was a pain, but hey it kept me with new music and good weed, so ai toughed out shifts to 1:00 am and having to be at school the next morning.
The big issue came near the end of my senior year. My school offered a class called “outdoor education” it was a perk for seniors, it allowed you to opt out of PE and do a bunch of fun things, such as hiking, cross country skiing, and the finale was a class camping trip(which also was the final for the course).
I put in for the weekend off months in advance. Im pretty sure you can guess what happened next. The schedule for the week of the trip comes up, and lo and behold, I am scheduled to work both Saturday and Sunday. I call my boss to ask why they did that, and they gave me the typical double speak you would expect from management. Well, I still went on the trip and had a great time.
After I get back and go in for my next shift, I am called into a meeting with the dept manager and the general manager. This is a meeting I wish I could redo more than most in my life. They informed me that what I did was unprofessional and unacceptable. At the time I meekly apologized.
If I had, had the presence of mind I do now, I would have questioned them. I would have asked, “do you think I want to be here five years from now?” I would have continued to emphasize that this trip was part of my grade, and a part of my education. Finally I would have told them that there was confusion, that it was not a time off request, but me informing them I was unavailable.
In the end it was educational I suppose, I learned right fast these companies do not care about you. Something it tool a few more years to figure out, but this was crucial part.