"Get fired, it’s a great learning experience"
1–10 of 27 posts
Re: "Get fired, it’s a great learning experience"
#2Getting fired is only a good thing if you're on the path to being a loser. If you aren't, then being fired means you are ruining your current career.
Maybe instead of being fired, you should do something more sensible and ethical: Quit.
Re: "Get fired, it’s a great learning experience"
#3Getting fired is only a good thing if you're on the path to being a loser. If you aren't, then being fired means you are ruining your current career. Maybe instead of being fired, you should do something more sensible and ethical: Quit.
It's an incendiary quote (and title), and instinctively counter-intuitive, but the thrust of the article is that "no" can be very instructive and beneficial when you learn from it.
It's through adversity that people grow the most, not when life is going smoothly (although that's when the work gets done).
Re: "Get fired, it’s a great learning experience"
#4It's fine to get fired if you're great at something and fate/luck is on your side. Or your parents are extremely rich. For most people, it's not a good thing.
Certainly do not try to get fired from a good job.
Re: "Get fired, it’s a great learning experience"
#5Getting fired is only a good thing if you're on the path to being a loser. If you aren't, then being fired means you are ruining your current career. Maybe instead of being fired, you should do something more sensible and ethical: Quit.
How is quitting more sensible and ethical?
Perhaps John Lasseter (of Pixar) was on the way to being a loser?
I for one am glad that Lasseter ruined his career at Disney.
Re: "Get fired, it’s a great learning experience"
#6I've been fired. A "great learning experience" is not how I would put it, but I did learn some stuff.
* if the company doesn't have a good reason to fire you, like you just don't get along with people, they often give you a sweet departure package you wouldn't get if you just quit. I guess to prevent a lawsuit.
* you can collect unemployment, which you can't do if you quit.
* few people hiring really care if you got fired. nobody even asked me what happened. I had competing job offers in days.
* this happens all the time, even moreso in the upper ranks of management. in fact, it seems the higher up you are, the better deal it is to get fired. often times when a C level exec gets fired, they get a severence package which allows them to not work for a year or so.
* the person who is probably going to be most bummed is your mom.
The main lesson I learned though, is that it's another one of the long standing bullshit lines about things that will destroy your life that simply aren't true. It's in the same league as smoking pot, dropping out of college, and not paying your taxes on time. Nothing very dramatic happens, and it's pretty easy to recover. It's disappointing, in a way. It's a better story if you're on the brink of disaster and come back. In reality it's just a temporary setback, and you probably end up with a better job at the next place.
Re: "Get fired, it’s a great learning experience"
#7I'm surprised how many fear-driven comments have popped up on this thread. Isn't this "hacker" news? Isn't this the crowd that likes to break stuff? Getting fired from a job does not make you persona non grata in your industry and you certainly don't have to be wealthy to weather the storm. Give me a break.
I've met a lot of people over the years that have played it safe in their careers and frankly they seem to live in constant fear of losing what they have (which usually isn't much). I was having breakfast with a friend the other day that was sweating through his shirt because his department was getting merged with another. I just don't understand it. No one wants to face rejection, especially if it's going to cause financial hardship, but there are worse things in life than being out of a job. If you're passionate about what you do, you'll find another.
I've been on both sides of the table firing. It's unpleasant either way but it's not much worse than getting dumped that first time. Shit happens, you grow. I'd rather be fired and learn to deal with it than do a job I hate and/or live in fear of losing that job.
Re: "Get fired, it’s a great learning experience"
#8This article is really more about getting rejected than it is about getting fired. Overcoming fear of rejection can really change your life.
But, I was fired once - I'm pretty sure you can call it that; and from the moment it was happening, I was sure that it was a great thing for me. Having come from a background where I was constantly taught that having a job and keeping it was the only way to be a worthy human being, I never would have had the guts to quit myself. Once I was fired, I was sure I never wanted to work for anyone else again. The first few weeks of being unemployed, I just had to get used the idea that I actually still existed, despite not having a job.
That was over three years ago, and the resulting freedom to explore my curiosities and creativity has lead me to a much happier life than I had before. So, if you fantasize about getting fired, just quit. It may be worth it.
Re: "Get fired, it’s a great learning experience"
#9Getting fired is only a good thing if you're on the path to being a loser. If you aren't, then being fired means you are ruining your current career. Maybe instead of being fired, you should do something more sensible and ethical: Quit.
How is quitting more sensible and ethical? Perhaps John Lasseter (of Pixar) was on the way to being a loser? I for one am glad that Lasseter ruined his career at Disney.
My kids (huge fans of Cars) are happy too. My wallet is not.
Re: "Get fired, it’s a great learning experience"
#10I was fired at 19 years old, while I was being groomed to be in sales for the company I worked for. They decided that I didn't have "it" and would never make it in sales, so they didn't bother to train me or give me a shot. I then got a tool dealer (selling wrenches and screwdrivers) franchise and was 8th of 430 the next year for sales. I ended up making more than the partners of the firm that fired me (I had done the payroll, so I knew).
When I was 30, I was "reduced in force" which is a fancy way to get fired, and was fairly devastated. I had been with the company for 10 years and it was my whole life. I had also been top sales person for 2 of the last 3 years- unfortunately not the year before the R.I.F... Now I am 41 and the last 10 years have been the most profitable of all. Even with the recession carving a chunk of my investments I am better off - because I started a couple of my own companies and did it myself. I learned how to manage people, how to manage the books and how to understand that much of the time you are flying blind and the only choice is to make the best decisions you can at the time. It has been great.
So go out and get fired. Just do it for the right things. I was let go at 19 (and 30) for telling the boss how it should be done, and how I would do it better. What have you been fired for?