So I was working through a collaboration contract, meaning I had my own company and collaborated with another company from the US. I was working this way because in my country if I work as a company I have to pay less taxes than if I was an employee (10% instead of 45%).
This job was highly paid from my country (I live in Easter Europe and the payment was at US level).
The only disadvantage is that, in this way of working basically I can be fired on the spot, without the 20 days notice.
And this just happened this morning.
Recently I moved into a new place, a penthouse in the center of the city, bought a Lexus, just got in a LTR with a very traditional (and virgin) girl (not a unicorn, I know AWALT) and basically living the good life.
But toady I just woke up to an email that said that the US company no longer need my services. When I talked with the boss he said I became to expensive for them.
This just left me stunned and full of regret because, if you look into my post history you will see that no longer than a couple of months ago I received a job offer that was paying a lot more than this one, but I turned it down because I liked my work here and the work environment.
But probably you wonder how did that happened? Well, me and some other co-workers had a fight with my boss regarding the salary, and I used my other offer to force his hand, he gave in and gave us the raise, but after that, in a month or so, he began hiring new people, students, that are payed way less than us. They are no way near our level, but they are cheap.
I almost had a panic attack when I got the news in my email. I didn't know what to do. But I calmed down, replied that I understand their decision, opened linkedin and started looking for other jobs. That's life. Basically just a month ago I was telling to myself that I made it and I have everything I want and now, for a second, I felt like I could lose everything. But that's not true, I know I can work hard and I can get a job just as good, and I will do it. This is just small setback that I will get over. But I learned some things from this.
​
- If you get a better job offer, take it and don't use it to squeeze your boss. He will now know you can leave and will find that small window of time when he doesn't 100% need you and will fire you then because he believe he has the time to fill your spot.
- If you have a better job offer, take it. Fuck the work environment, fuck the company loyalty, fuck the "company mission". Yeah, I was working on cool stuff, but fuck that, at the end of the day all that matter is the paycheck.
- Keep your moral up and don't worry about things you can't control. You have to be stoic in every situation.
- I always thought you have to make yourself valuable to the company. You have to be loyal and grow old and respected in a workplace. Fuck that. Be a mercenary, only the money speak.
- Don't believe your boss is you friend. I did that. I was wrong.
- Don't get too attached to your workplace.
- Don't get comfortable. I did that. If I got fired some time ago I would have 5 job offers waiting for me, because I was always going to interviews. Now I have none. I know I will get a job, but these couple of hours till the phone rings are killing me.
- Have an emergency fund for these kind of days. Save up. I kind of spent money like crazy in the last couple of months, buying expensive things and partying every weekend.
- Nobody cares about you. I haven't told anybody I got fired. I'll just tell them I switched jobs.
And the last advice. If they FUCK with you, YOU FUCK WITH THEM.
I just told what happened to my co-workers who I have been working and became really good friend over the years. They all decided to look for other jobs since they believe this will happen to them too (being fired for cheaper programmers). They are 4, if 2 of them leave two projects with major clients are fucked completely and the boss won't be able to meet the deadlines, I can guarantee that.
You fuck with me, I fuck with you. Stay strong brothers! Always!
UPDATE: I just got off the phone with the CEO of the company that I rejected in order to stay in this place. He wants me to go over there tomorrow to sign the papers and he gave me the same offer with a little extra on top. He claimed I was the best guy he interviewed in a long time. Always know your value brothers!
[deleted] 4y ago
For anyone interested, read about the "Gervais Principle." This principle is demonstrated wonderfully by the Office television series. It talks about 3 types of people in a company. The sociopaths at the top, the clueless in the middle, and the losers at the bottom. The sociopaths and the losers know what their deal is and have no company loyalty. The clueless in the middle believe, stupidly, in company loyalty, ethics in treating employees fairly, etc. The clueless are essentially the blue pill in business.
F_Dingo 4y ago
Are you sure you're actually running a company? You sound like a contractor to me.
throwlaca 4y ago
You have to see business as Alpha men looking for young girls. Yes, you are the young girl.
Young workers work for less, have less demands and they are replaceable, so they are very attractive for the company. When you get old and you start to demand more and work less, you get fired, the same way you replace an old, expensive wife with a new young girlfriend. The new girlfriend will fuck it up and likely cheat on you, but then you replace it with another. If you are going to be an employee, you have to find a company that invest so much in you that they cannot fire you.
You have to find a beta company. Look for the old established business. Those are the betas. But most are alphas. See that this is exactly the same strategy that women use to find men.
samosiazosia 4y ago
I searched through your post history and gathered that you work in cyber security and software development (I'm more inclined to believe you do software development in the area of cyber security, anyhow sperg mode off). Read "Developer Hegemony" ASAP, this book should be your top priority for the next 2 days. I'm dead serious about it. Your POV will change.
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Hjalmbere 4y ago
You should have seen the writing on the wall: He played it smart when you confronted him. He appeared to concede but instead he hired on new staff.
I’m betting he’s only intending on keeping experienced staff until the newbies become productive. More redudancies to follow. Hope you had saved up an emergency fund. If not, you live, you learn.
I find that having fuck off money helps you maintain frame with women.
TheLegionnaire00 4y ago
Yes, exactly. Initially we were also "cheap" but our demands increased as we learned more. He's now teaching the new guys and probably intend to fire the others one at a time. One of my co-worker is already decided to leave after this tho. The other 3 are just thinking about it. Probably they will all leave by the end of the year as I know them.
clouddevs 4y ago
Software jobs is something I equate with prostitution.
The younger you are, the more valuable you become lol
TheLegionnaire00 4y ago
Yeah, pretty much. When I was 18 and started working I accepted a shit salary. I just saw it as extra money.
HornedBul 4y ago
The moment you have a fight with the boss and threaten with another job offer you were given, you can be sure the boss will no longer be your friend. your mistake here was thinking you could force his hand and keep on being loyal friends.
you starting fucking with them with that fight. they fucked back with you.
Patric_MasterBateman 4y ago
Sucks to hear that man, I like your posts. Best of luck on the job hunt
drumperion 4y ago
Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
You keep on burning bridges just because you're chasing a couple of hundred dollars raise, soon enough, you'll be left with a dick in your hands.
A huge part of the professional world is your network and influence in it. Career professionals would think twice about swapping from a highly influential job to a better paying one. I work in government, diplomacy and internatioal relations. I have an electronic commerce degree and im highly trained in web development.
What do you think, why I dont just tell my head of department to fuck off and go work in some dev company for triple the salary?
Because with my job, I have status and influence. 5 years down the line, maybe I'll sway enough votes in my favor inside the party, to appoint me the deputy minister for foreign affairs.
I dont need that extra several thousands in my account yearly. I need my phonebook to contain the number of every influential person in the region, and be on a par with them. Because money fades much easier than power.
hammerhearth 4y ago
Money is power. Take the 3x salary position. Your coworkers are not your friends and your boss is not loyal to you as employee.
Take the money.
MattyAnon Admin 4y ago
This is the risk when you force a pay raise: they accept in the short term, then undercut you with other people when they can.
You have to learn/accept that this is entirely fair and reasonable of them. You'd do the same if you were forced to take a pay cut: you'd take it in the short term, and go about finding better for yourself. It's the same thing when they do it.
Jobs and contracts are not for life, OP. Just like women: they're best when you see them as transient and always have plans in place for their replacement.
Your rules that you've learned are short term overreactions based on a sample size of 1.
1: no, don't always take it. You have to judge between stay, leave, or stay and demand a raise. The right call could be any of those three.
8- absolutely. AT LEAST 3 months, ideally 6 to 12. The security of knowing you can relocate and job hunt for the time it takes to get your next position is worth a lot more than any amount of parties. Makes you feel better, happier and more secure..... and also gives you a lot of chances to take more risks in life. You are not as beholden to your job or anything.
Well they probably actually won't do it. Most people are not too proactive and are pretty lazy. But if they do, it's just funny. Hope so.
Fucking epic, good work.
ANGRY_ATHEIST 4y ago
You forgot the actual rule #1, which is never tell anyone how much money you make. This is even more important if you make good money. Your friends will resent you for it, and your co-workers will go to your boss asking for a raise, getting you fired in the process.
Had you actually followed that rule, your coworker never would have used that information, and you may still have your job today.
Your income, no matter what it is, should be super top-secret on a need-to-know basis only. Only your immediate supervisor should know what you make. The only exception is if you are looking for a new job, in that case you should be telling potential employers and/or recruiters only what you would accept as an offer. Other than that (and perhaps the IRS), there is absolutely no good reason for anyone else to know what your income is.
Another tip I'd give is to never accept the first offer any company gives you. They expect you to negotiate.
dontbethatguynow 4y ago
You weren't as valuable to them as you thought.
celincelin 4y ago
Why do Eastern Europeans have such a hard on for Lexuses is beyond me. Those are basically Toyotas, but even uglier. I want to solve this mystery before I die, but hope fades by day...
TheLegionnaire00 4y ago
Well here you see bmws, audis and mercs everywhere. The lexus stand out of the crowd.
Cryptoguru777 4y ago
You made a mistake and learned from it. I made the same one once. Once they know you are (willing to be) leaving they will fuck you over. The high abundance mindset only works if you don't threaten them with it. If you are skilled and a good person in general be rest assured they know you have market value.
Andgelyo 4y ago
“I made it and have everything I want”
Never think for a second, that you made it. The moment you become complacent is the moment that you lose. You must keep growing and keep hustling. I don’t care if you are a millionaire living in Beverly Hills or a guy living on the streets of Harlem, NYC. You keep hustling for that money, because anyone can lose their job at anytime.
destraht 4y ago
The government is an expensive middleman. If you had been saving more of the 35% difference in having them involved then you'd be golden.
PS2Errol 4y ago
It is standard advice that everyone should try to have 6 months to a year of living expenses saved up in immediately accessible cash. Better to have a year or even more.
That way you never have to panic when bad news hits.
massivewang 4y ago
I’m all for enjoying the fruits of your labor, but I hope if you’re making pent house and Lexus money you’re also saving/ investing 30-50% of your income or more. If not, your lifestyle inflation will fuck you hard in the ass.
Bear-With-Bit 4y ago
Next step: build your own real biz. Get to the point of "Power is the option to walk away" with some fuck-you money.
Flying_Wingback 4y ago
“Never let a hard time humble us”-Nipsey Hussle
trueliberal1 4y ago
Exactly. Always monkey branch to a better job. Never force a raise because you will get fired when it's convenient for the company. They need to know your value and offer the raise willingly.
Also, always make sure your essential.
And remember, a company has no loyalty to you because with rare exception other people have no loyalty to you. Your bosses and coworkers only care about what you can do for them, not what you have done for them in the past. Briffault's Law does not apply to just women and sexual relations. It applies to most relations including business ones.
PepinoSF 4y ago
I would say to spear your emotions for something that deserves them.Corporate world doesnt go well with emotions. Corporations are merciless, emotionless machines and deal with them as such.
Two more advices: The best time for looking for a new job is the the time when you just land a job.
Never strech beyond your means. Lexus and penthouse for newbie software geek (jerk) look rather hilarious.
k0t0n0 4y ago
Tell her that you got fired and see her reaction. i don't see why you wanna hide it from her.
Geckobird 4y ago
"I got fired."
"Bye Felicia."
[deleted] 4y ago
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PS2Errol 4y ago
You are better off not associating with people like this anyway. So consider it a lucky break.
[deleted] 4y ago
Of course you can talk to women about your feelings, just realise their nature. You shouldn't fear loosing her just for talking to her. If she goes she goes. Allthough I think it wasn't so much of talking about getting sacked but maby bitching about it. And have you really been observing if you haven't noticed any warnings before you get sacked? Why was it so big deal? Didn't you have plan b?
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brasilgringo 4y ago
Also put notice periods in your work contracts, if you are a contractor/contracted business.
gixxerthouguy 4y ago
There is always politics in the workplace. As a consultant you are there to do a job, not complain, and get paid well. Finish your contract, and move on.
However, a company will always do what is best for them - likewise, you must do what is best for you. Don;t always chase the money - some roles may offer opportunities to learn new skills which may pay off in the future.
Always be professional. That's the key. As tempting as it may be, do not burn your bridges, as you never know when you will meet these people again, especially if in the same industry.
[deleted] 4y ago
Yeah, always keep it classy
420KUSHBUSH 4y ago
"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
This is not meant literally by the way
PeepingTurtle 4y ago
I'm not a crazed gunman, dad. I'm an assassin. Well, the difference is one is a job and the other is a mental sickness! Dad, Da- put mom on the phone!
TheLegionnaire00 4y ago
I get what you are saying, but basically my boss was totally unprofessional about it.
BranTheBuildar 4y ago
Not at all. Sounds like he did exactly what he needed to do, which was manage his costs.
BobbyPeru 4y ago
The lesson OP should have learned is grow up and don’t burn bridges. Now, he’s talking about burning the whole city by convincing other employees to leave and put the company in a bad spot.
A worse lesson to learn is to become blackballed in an industry
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Jesusfeminist 4y ago
Always have another branch ready. Just recently went through the same shit
VadimDestroyer 4y ago
Hi man, thank you for such a comprehensive analysis.
I work now in fashion. And I've just got a regularly job after my internship at the same company. I don't earn too much for a moment comparing to the same job at other companies but still good for my first experience.
So, while working here I get acquainted with a lot of new useful people, I get new experience. That's what I'm looking for now. So money is not always the most important factor.
But I agree with you that you don't have to think that your employer is your friend. It's not. Probably you like him, probably he like you and the results you perform but at the end everybody doesn't give a fuck. We always have to understand it