Reflect about the story of Kevin

My First Job Went Horribly Wrong!

Kevin has never had a job like this before, and he would have never even thought he could suffer this much because of a boss and a few colleagues.

Sad but true - I got fired from my very first job after just two weeks. Well, technically, I didn't even last two weeks - I got canned after a week and 6 days.

Hey, my name is Kevin and this is my story. Enough time has gone by now that I can kinda laugh about it, so here it is, for your entertainment: how I got fired from my first job in less than 2 weeks. It was supposed to be a carefree summer. I was sixteen years old and loving life. My parents believed kids should have fun while they still could, while they didn't have any responsibilities, so they never made me work, but I REALLY wanted to get a car. My dream was this older, blue, BMW convertible that was affordable but still looked really sweet. I knew they would never buy me one, so when a nearby office started advertising for summer help, I figured it was my perfect opportunity. Mom and Dad thought I should lifeguard at the pool, but this paid way better, so eventually they gave in and let me apply.

I had to go in for an interview, so I got myself uncomfortably dressed up in khakis and a button down. My mom drove me there and I remember saying how close the office was to our house. The interviewer asked me all these different questions, all about my work ethic and my motivation. How was I supposed to know? I got okay grades and my teachers liked me, but I'd never even had a job before. I mean, the most my parents ever made me do was clean up my room and take out the trash. Oh, and I sometimes helped with the dishes after dinner. That's it. That was my "work experience."

Anyway, I don't know how - maybe not many people applied? - but SOMEHOW, I got the job. I couldn't believe it! The lady on the phone didn't really say exactly what my role would be, besides "supporting the team," but I started on Monday. On Sunday night, I was so nervous I couldn't sleep. I just lay in bed tossing and turning until finally it was time to get up. I choked down some cornflakes and got on my bike, pedaling furiously down to the office. Unfortunately, it was farther away than I thought. It seemed much closer when we were driving...I rode as fast as I could, but by the time I locked my bike up outside and made it into the lobby, I was bright red, sweaty, and 15 minutes late. The receptionist told me to head up to the 8th floor, adding "Aren't you late by the way? On your first day?" with a disapproving smirk. I felt my face get even redder, and walked towards the elevator. "You can't take the elevator." she called after me. "You need to take the stairs!" SERIOUSLY!? I was already late and sweaty, and now I had to walk up seven flights of stairs!? What kind of company didn't let employees take the elevators? Or was she trying to teach me a lesson and be mean? I didn't know. I just sighed and took the stairs.

By the time I arrived up to the 8th floor I wasn't sweaty anymore...I was a walking Niagara Falls! On the eighth floor, my boss was waiting for me. I could tell immediately that he was not happy. He introduced himself. And then suddenly asked "You know punctuality is very important for us, right?" "Sure." I said. I mean what kind of question is that? Pretty obvious I was already off to a bad start. Thing is, at the time I didn't realize HOW bad. Who knew it was so horrible to be a little late on your first day - I figured it was like school and people were late all the time, so no one would care. Well, the company was producing precision metal parts for the automotive industry. Thinking back, I guess that was part of the reason why they were so strict about punctuality, reliability and all that.

Anyway, after that I got briefed about my role (finally!). I'd be doing some basic research online, doing errands like getting coffee and food for everyone, and some other stuff the staff didn't have time for, like changing the cartridge in the printer. It didn't sound as exciting as I'd thought, but hey, it was gonna buy me that sweet BMW so who cared, really? Luckily, nothing else went wrong on that first day (besides being late and annoying the receptionist and my boss). The next day? That was a different story... I had to go around taking everybody's Starbucks orders, and trust me - these people were seriously nuts! Macchiato, frappuccino, half shots, double shots, almond milk, whipped cream - you name it. I didn't drink coffee in those days, so I had no idea what they were talking about. I tried the best I could but I definitely messed up a few things. I thought no one would notice: coffee is coffee, right? But it turned out, that the lady who asked for almond milk, actually had a pretty bad lactose intolerance, so she had to go home, because she got so sick after having morning coffee.

Everyone realized pretty quickly that I had messed up on the milk -that really got me in trouble. I hadn't realized how serious it could have been- what if she'd been allergic to dairy instead of just lactose-intolerant? I could have put her in the hospital. The whole almond milk incident freaked me out, and the more nervous I got, the more mistakes I made. It was a mess. I dropped stacks of strictly arranged papers all over the floor, and then I had to go back to the person who gave them to me, and asked him to put them in order again... I got frazzled and filed things in the wrong places, and once, I hung up on a super important client I was supposed to be putting on hold because I pressed the wrong button. I could tell everyone was

getting annoyed with me... but none of those things were what got me fired...So, now it's my 13th morning on the job... lucky 13. I'm running late again... I swear it wasn't my fault! My alarm didn't go off even though - even now -I'm sure I set

it!

Anyway, I get to the lobby downstairs (sweaty and red again! Not a good look...) and I am SO relieved to see that the receptionist isn't at her desk. One less person to judge me for running late. All I have to do is fly off the steps when... suddenly the elevator catches my eye. No one's around to tell me not to...and it' would be so much faster than taking the stairs! Perfect! I hop into the elevator and punched the button for the eighth floor. The light flashes and the door is closed. I enjoy like one blissful second of moving peacefully upwards, when suddenly the elevator jolts to a stop. What??? I pushed the eighth floor button a couple more times and- nothing happens. It doesn't even light up. What the heck??? See, what I didn't realize was that the receptionist wasn't telling me not to use the elevator because she didn't like me -she was telling me because it hadn't been working properly, and they were waiting for the maintenance guy to come and fix it. There was even a sign taped to the elevator door saying: "Do not use" but I was always in such a distracted brush that I didn't even notice. So, how did I get out? After five minutes of waiting, and literally pushing every single button like five times, I had to press the emergency button. Yeah, you know the one -the one you think you'll never have to push. The receptionist was absolutely furious- she had been gone just long enough to go to the bathroom- and then I had to wait in there for two hours while the elevator was gently lowered, so they could pry the doors open and rescue me. I almost peed my pants.

Needless to say, I was fired. I'd already done so many things wrong and then there was this elevator "thing". The company was charged a lot for rescuing me by the lift management company. Honestly, I was lucky that I was just a kid they couldn't make ME pay for it. My boss said he thought I wasn't ready for a job like this, and honestly, I agreed with him- besides, I was just happy not to be stuck in an elevator anymore. I spent the rest of the summer of mowing lawns, and doing yard work for cash, and playing video games, and hanging out with my friends. Even though the job won't have lasted a couple weeks, it was a massive relief to not be so stressed out all the time. My parents felt kinda bad for me, but they agreed it was a great life lesson. Now I'm 18, and I'm about to begin a job at a different company. The new company is on the ground floor of their building, so won't have any issues with the elevator this time at least. By the way, I'm still saving up for my dream BMW and I know I'll get it eventually. Good thing is it's a used car, so it's getting cheaper and cheaper every year.