I found out the real reason I was fired from my job was because a vindictive woman there had it out for me
I found this out a week ago when I talked to a coworker who also got fired that same day. I still can't believe this actually happened to me. I had heard stories about people getting fired for managers not liking them but I never thought it would actually happen to me.
This coworker and I worked at a nonprofit and it was a small org (like 35-40 people). The nasty manager was going to be taking over my boss's role this year (Executive Director). I found out from several former coworkers that this woman did not like me and was talking shit about me constantly with one of her other cronies. This was also confirmed by another former employee I talked to who still works there.
Apparently this bitch and her crony was constantly talking badly about me behind my back and I had no idea. And more than one person noticed and never mentioned anything to me while I worked there. I found out from the coworker who just got fired that this woman pretty much strong armed my boss into firing me and was behind it.
Some of the nasty things this would would say was that I had "no idea what I was doing" or that I was "in my own little world" (whatever that means). The wild part was that she NEVER brought these things up to me. Granted she wasn't my direct supervisor but she never shared any feedback with me.
This whole time I was lead to believe I was fired for "performance issues" when it was this woman who wanted me gone. I never knew about her constantly talking crap behind me behind my back and despising me. I am aware that my boss had his own critique of my performance and we had meetings for it months prior to being fired. But a part of me suspects that this woman might have been planting a seed with him that I was a "bad apple." Unfortunately, I will never know the truth.
I understand there were things I needed to improve on and I had made mistakes. But I do not fully trust that feedback and I am unsure of what was legitimate feedback versus someone not liking me.
I never thought I'd be the target of malicious work-place mean girl drama (I am also a woman). I was always polite to everyone there and kept to myself. It's wild that this happened at a very progressive women-centered nonprofit. Unfortunately I work in an at-will state and there isn't anything that can be done.
One takeaway from all this is that I suspect alot of people lose jobs because a manager secretly dislikes them. Of course half the people in my life don't believe this is the case and they insist it must have been my "performance." I think that it's just a cope for some people who can't accept the unfairness and cruelty of the situation.
Jobadvisor
This is a genuinely painful thing to find out — that the story you were told wasn't the real story, and that people around you knew and said nothing while you were still there. That last part especially would sit with me too. It's not just losing a job, it's realizing a whole social environment was quietly working against you without you having a chance to respond to any of it.
I want to gently push on one thing, though, because I think it matters for you going forward: the choice in front of you isn't really "it was 100% her" versus "it was 100% my performance." Both things can be true at once. It sounds like there genuinely were performance conversations happening with your boss months before this, separate from whatever this woman was saying. It's possible she amplified things, poisoned the well, or tipped a wavering decision — that happens, and workplace politics are real. But it's also possible the performance feedback was its own independent thread that would have existed regardless of her.
The reason I'd be cautious about fully collapsing this into "she got me fired, full stop" isn't to defend her or to dismiss what you went through — it's that if you walk away with no ability to sort real feedback from noise, you lose the chance to actually use whatever was true in it. You said it yourself: you're not sure what was legitimate versus personal dislike. That uncertainty is uncomfortable, but it's probably the honest place to sit for a while, rather than resolving it in either direction just to feel better.
On the people in your life who insist it "must have been performance" — I'd push back on that a little differently than you did. It's not necessarily that they can't accept unfairness. Sometimes people default to "it was your performance" because it's a more comfortable story for them — it implies the world is fair and controllable. But that doesn't make what happened to you less real. Workplace dynamics like this — someone disliking a colleague, talking behind their back, and quietly influencing a firing decision — are genuinely common, more common than most people want to admit, especially in small orgs where politics run hot precisely because everyone's close.
The bitterness in how you're describing her makes sense given what you learned. I'd just watch that it doesn't calcify into a total narrative that makes every future job feel unsafe or every piece of feedback feel suspect. That's the part that would actually cost you something down the line.
How are you doing with this a week out — more angry, more sad, or more just unmoored by it?
Rejected but the Job Reopened??
Hello! I interviewed for a job on 7/9 that was literally my dream - I loved the company and culture as well. Despite them being a very well known and quite large company, they hiring manager took his time to call me on the phone 1.5 weeks after my interview and told me they went with another candidate who better matched their needs at the time. I was bummed but honestly the fact that this guy called me rather than sent a generic robotic email, made me wanna work for them even more. He said he admired my passion, enjoyed learning about my background and getting to know me. He thanked me for speaking with the team and encouraged me to apply again in the future and said he might be looking for more people end of this year/early next year because their team and their facility is growing in my city. I was sad, but I thanked him.
They did send me a robotic email afterwards but I guess thats standard lol
Now about a week after my call with him, that role (same requisition number and everything) is reposted.... Im not sure what to do as the portal wont let me reapply (i clicked and it says youve already applied) and my status update for that job says not selected :/
This is an engineering role at a major legacy airline btw - i dunno if I should reach out to the guy or not. Hoping someone can advise
Jobadvisor
This is actually a pretty good sign, even though it feels confusing right now — a reopened req usually means the original hire fell through (declined the offer, background check issue, competing offer, internal budget shuffle) rather than anything about you specifically. Companies rarely re-post the exact same requisition just for fun.
Given that he took the time to call you personally and told you they might be hiring again soon for a growing team, I think reaching out is the right move here — not to ask "why," but to put yourself back on his radar now that the role is open again.
A few things on how to do it well:
Reach out to him directly, not just through the portal. If you have his email or LinkedIn, that's better than trying to fight the application system. Something short and low-pressure:
"Hi [Name], I saw the [role] req reopened and wanted to reach out directly since the portal shows me as already applied/not selected. I'm still very interested in the role and the team — would love to be considered again if there's a way to do that. Thanks again for the call last time, it meant a lot."
Keep it brief, warm, no guilt-tripping, no "why didn't it work out with the other person" questions. He doesn't owe you those details and asking can read as slightly needy.
Don't over-interpret the portal status. "Not selected" for the original req is just how the ATS closes out a requisition — it doesn't necessarily reflect a permanent judgment, especially since he already told you he liked you and wanted you to reapply later.
If you don't hear back in a week or so, a polite LinkedIn connection request with a short note is a reasonable second touch. After that, let it rest — you don't want to seem like you're chasing.
One thing to keep in mind for your own peace of mind: even doing everything right, you can't control whether they loop you back in this exact cycle. But you're not starting from zero — you already made an impression strong enough that a busy hiring manager called you personally. That counts for something real, even if this particular door takes a bit longer to open.
Do you have a direct line to him (email/LinkedIn), or only the portal?
psa: a bunch of healthcare jobs will literally pay to train you, nobody talks about this
i went down a huge research rabbit hole on getting into healthcare without a degree and the thing that shocked me most is how many jobs come with FREE employer-paid training bc theyre so short staffed:
nursing homes will train you as a CNA for free, some pay you during training (they just want the work commitment after)
dialysis chains like davita hire people with zero experience as paid trainees and put you through certification (~$48k after)
CVS/walgreens do pharmacy tech trainee roles, paid from day one
plasma donation centers teach phlebotomy in house, paid
hospitals train sterile processing techs on the job (~$45k, zero patient contact if ur not a people person lol)
the trick is these deals are almost never in job ads. u literally just call and ask "do you offer sponsored training or hire people you train on the job?" call 5 places, someone says yes
happy to answer questions, i researched all 15 no-degree healthcare careers pretty deep
Jobadvisor
This is genuinely useful info that doesn't get talked about enough — the "just call and ask" tip especially, since so many people assume if it's not in the job posting, it doesn't exist.
A couple of the specifics are worth double-checking before you publish, since specific dollar figures are the kind of thing that gets people excited and then quoted everywhere even if slightly off. Let me verify a couple of these.Good news: your $48k figure for DaVita techs holds up well — it's right in line with what's being reported. Multiple sources put average DaVita dialysis technician pay right around $48,000-$49,000 a year nationally, roughly $23-24/hour, and Glassdoor estimates it a bit higher, around $51,000 with a range up to $72,000 for experienced techs. So "$48k after" is a solid, defensible number to cite — if anything you could even say "up to $48-51k" to be accurate on both ends.
A few thoughts on the post overall, since you're clearly trying to make this genuinely useful:
What's strong:
- The "call and ask directly" tip is the best piece of advice in there. Most people don't know to do this and it really does work — a lot of this training exists specifically because these roles have brutal turnover and postings don't always reflect what a location is willing to offer someone in person.
- CNA, pharmacy tech, and sterile processing being paid/employer-trained tracks are all accurate and well known in workforce development circles.
Worth tightening before you post:
- Consider softening "$48k after" to a range, since pay varies a lot by state/facility (some markets it's closer to $40k, others touch $60k+).
- For sterile processing, it might be worth noting certification (CRCST) is usually still required even with on-the-job training — some places pay for the exam/cert, some just give you study time, so "zero degree needed" is accurate but "zero cert needed" isn't.
- One small addition that'd add credibility: mention that these programs often come with a service commitment clause (e.g., "if you leave within 1-2 years you owe back the training cost"). You hint at this with "commitment" for CNA but it applies to DaVita and others too — worth flagging so people go in with eyes open rather than getting surprised by a clawback clause later.
Want help tightening the wording for Reddit formatting, or want me to sanity-check any of the other 15 careers you researched?
Out of Work and Down to My Last $17. I'm Honestly Terrified.
That's it... It's over. The last bit of money in my account went to rent. I'm unemployed and have sent out more than 130 applications over the past ten weeks with no results. I had to use a personal loan just to be able to pay this rent. And now I have $17 to live on for I don't even know how long.
I'm scared. I genuinely don't know what I'm supposed to do next. My car won't start, and even if I knew exactly what was wrong with it, I wouldn't be able to pay to fix it anyway. How am I supposed to get around? How am I supposed to eat?
My family and friends aren't in a position to help me. I'm getting rejected for credit cards and loans. I feel like I'm spiraling and trying not to let everything completely fall apart, but it's hard.
I used to be a teacher, and then they let me go. Getting approved for unemployment and receiving payments in my state apparently takes 2 to 5 months, and that feels impossible right now.
If anyone knows of any openings or opportunities, please send them my way. I'll take any real lead at this point.
Jobadvisor
That's an incredibly heavy load to be carrying alone right now — job loss, a car that won't start, $17 left, and a system that's supposed to help but takes months to kick in. It makes complete sense that you're scared. I want to get you something useful right now, not just sympathy.
A few things that can help in the next 24-72 hours specifically:
Immediate cash/food:
- Call 211 (dial 2-1-1 from any US phone) — this connects you to local emergency assistance: food banks, rent help, utility assistance, and sometimes small emergency cash grants. It's free and fast, not a 2-5 month wait like unemployment.
- SNAP (food stamps) — many states have expedited SNAP processing (as fast as 7 days, sometimes 24-48 hours) for people with very low or no income and no resources. Apply online through your state's benefits portal today; mention you have almost no money and no food, they have expedited categories for exactly this.
- Food banks/pantries — Feeding America's site (feedingamerica.org) has a zip-code locator for free food pantries, no application needed, just show up.
- Plasma donation — if you're near a donation center (CSL, BioLife, Grifols), first-time donors often get paid $50-100 for the first couple donations, sometimes within days. Not a long-term fix but genuinely fast cash.
On unemployment specifically:
- Call your state unemployment office directly (not just the web portal) and ask if there's an expedited or emergency processing option — some states have one for hardship cases, and being a laid-off teacher (not fired for cause) usually makes you a strong, uncomplicated claim. It's worth pushing on this actively rather than just waiting.
On the car: if it's something you need to be reachable/mobile for job searching, some cities have low/no-cost transit options for job seekers — worth asking 211 about this too.
On the job search itself — since you're a former teacher, a few things move faster than full-time postings:
- Substitute teaching — often hires within days, minimal application process, and pay hits fast (weekly or biweekly).
- Tutoring platforms (Varsity Tutors, Wyzant) — can start earning within a week of approval.
- Both of these use your existing certification/experience without a long hiring cycle.
I don't know your state — if you tell me, I can help you find the specific unemployment office contact info and expedited SNAP process for where you are, plus local food banks near you.
Does Product Management seem like the right career path based on my experience?
Hello everyone,
I have around 2.8 years of experience working at an online crowdfunding platform in India. This is my first job, and most of what I know has come from learning through practical work.
I started by handling user queries, identifying recurring issues and understanding user pain points. Over time, my work expanded into explaining problems and requirements to engineering, coordinating with engineering and QA, doing UAT and release validation, improving existing features, and contributing to new features related to payments, growth, operational efficiency and user trust.
Because my experience is spread across different areas, I’m not sure where I fit best. Some parts of my work feel like Product Management, while others seem closer to Product Operations or Product Owner responsibilities. I also don’t feel that I have one clear specialisation yet.
I’m taking a planned career break until September and expect to start working again in October. I want to use this time properly to understand my direction and strengthen the right skills instead of randomly doing courses.
I would appreciate some honest advice:
Which career path does my current experience align with most: Product Management, Product Operations or Product Owner?
What strengths from my experience should I build on?
What important gaps should I work on before applying for PM roles?
How can I practically test whether I genuinely enjoy and suit Product Management work?
Would hands-on projects and mentorship be more useful than taking a formal PM course?
I’m open to reconsidering my direction if another path suits my experience better. Thanks for reading and for any guidance.
Jobadvisor
Good, clear-headed questions — let me go through them honestly.
1. Where your experience actually sits
Your work maps most closely to a Product Owner / Associate PM hybrid, with real Product Operations exposure layered in. Here's the breakdown:
- Handling user queries → identifying pain points: this is discovery work, a core PM skill, just informally.
- Translating problems into requirements for engineering: this is the heart of Product Owner work.
- Coordinating eng/QA, UAT, release validation: this is delivery execution — Product Owner and Product Ops both do this, but it's not strategic PM work (market sizing, roadmap prioritization, business case building).
- Contributing to features across payments, growth, ops efficiency, trust: this is where you get closest to PM — especially if you influenced what got built and why, not just how.
So: you're not "pure" PM yet, but you're not just Product Ops either. You've been doing APM-shaped work without the title or the strategic framing. That's a very normal, very fixable starting point — a lot of PMs in India came up exactly this way (support → requirements → PM).
2. Strengths to build on
- User empathy grounded in real data, not assumptions — you've literally sat with complaints and patterns. Most PM candidates fake this with a course project; you have it for real.
- Cross-functional fluency — you already know how to talk to engineering and QA without a translator. This is underrated and hard to teach.
- Domain breadth: payments + growth + trust + ops is actually a strong combination — payments/fintech PM is a respected, in-demand niche in India specifically.
3. Gaps to close before applying
Be honest with yourself about these, because they're the real gap between "Product Owner" and "Product Manager":
- Strategic framing: Can you say why a feature was prioritized over another, in terms of business impact, not just "engineering asked me to write requirements for it"? If you were handed priorities rather than shaping them, that's the gap.
- Metrics ownership: Did you define success metrics for what you shipped, and track outcomes after launch? If not, this is your single highest-leverage thing to learn.
- Structured prioritization frameworks (RICE, ICE, cost of delay) — not to memorize buzzwords, but to practice defending trade-offs with a framework instead of gut feel.
- A narrative that owns outcomes, not tasks — right now your story is "I did X, Y, Z." A PM story is "I decided X should happen because Y, and here's what happened after."
4. How to test whether you actually like PM work (not just the idea of it)
Don't take a course first — run a real experiment during your break:
- Pick one feature or problem from your old company's product (or any product you use daily) and write a one-pager: problem, user evidence, proposed solution, success metric, trade-offs you'd consider. This is 80% of what PM work actually feels like day to day. If this exercise energizes you, good signal. If it feels like homework, that's data too.
- Talk to 3–5 actual PMs (ideally in fintech/payments) about their week — not "what is PM" but "walk me through last Tuesday." Compare that against what genuinely excites you versus what you tolerated in your last role.
- Notice: did you enjoy the requirement-writing and stakeholder coordination, or did you enjoy the moments you got to argue for why something mattered? That distinction tells you PM vs Product Owner/Ops.
5. Course vs. hands-on projects + mentorship
Skip the course, or treat it as a distant third priority. Here's why: you already have 2.8 years of real practical exposure — more than most people taking these courses. What you lack isn't PM vocabulary, it's strategic reps and a way to narrate your existing experience credibly.
Better use of your break:
- Do 1–2 real "PM case studies" on products you know well (write them properly, get feedback).
- Find a mentor (even informal, via LinkedIn or communities) who can pressure-test your thinking and your resume framing.
- Rewrite your resume/story around outcomes and decisions, not tasks — this alone often changes how you're evaluated in interviews.
- If you want structure, use a case-study-based interview prep resource rather than a general "intro to PM" course — you're past that stage.
One honest caveat: if after the one-pager exercise you find you enjoyed the coordination/execution/process side more than the "why should we build this" side, Product Operations is a legitimate, well-paid path too — not a consolation prize. Don't force PM if the actual day-to-day doesn't excite you once you've tried it.
Drained, Depressed, and Angry. What can I do?
Hey, I'm a 26M still working a crappy retail job that I cannot stand and makes me miserable every day I'm scheduled to go in and work a shift. I try to be a nice person and hold any anger and frustration back, but so many customers are so rude and act like such assholes that my mask is starting to crack and I let a little bit of my hostility out. It feels like I'm walking on egg shells constantly in my current position. I've tried for the past 2 years to escape this horrible field by looking for jobs that my skills can easily transfer to and taking an intro course to cybersecurity at the request of my mother. Well, I can't find similar work, as every job I interview for doesn't want me and AI has completely fucked the tech field, it makes me wary to seek out anymore courses related to that certificate as I feel I'd be throwing money away. I don't know what to do anymore? I'm so tired of being poor and angry, coming home constantly drained and miserable. It got bad with the last rejection I received, I tried so SO hard to sell myself and they didn't care. I had to stop myself from almost bursting into tears at work, I let all of that frustration out when I got home though. This can't continue, I need a way out.
Jobadvisor
This is an incredibly heavy weight to carry, and I want to start by validating everything you are feeling. You are not just "unhappy" at work; you are being actively eroded by a toxic environment. It is completely rational to feel drained, depressed, and angry when you are spending forty hours a week holding back your personality because you are surrounded by disrespect, only to return home to poverty and the crushing weight of rejection letters.
You have been trying for two years. You are not lazy. You are exhausted by the friction of a broken system. You have every right to let that hostility out, but since letting it out at work will get you fired and letting it out at home is miserable, we need to find a new channel for that energy.
Here is a structured, realistic roadmap focusing on three stages: Stabilize (Mental Health), Pivot (The Immediate Exit), and Build (The Long-Term Career).
Phase 1: Stabilize (Immediate Mental Health Relief)
You cannot successfully build a new career when your fuel tank is empty and your engine is on fire. You need to manage the anger and depression right now, even while you are still stuck in the store.
1. Shift Your Mindset to "Sabotage" through Competence
The anger you are feeling toward customers is justified, but it is poisoning you, not them. Change the game.
The Mask as Armor: Instead of viewing your politeness as a fake "mask" that is cracking, view it as active armor. When a customer is rude, your goal is to be so efficiently, neutrally professional that they have nothing to grip onto. Your politeness is a way of saying, "You are not important enough to affect my day."
The "Study" Method: Try to view your job like an anthropologist studying a strange, aggressive tribe. Observe the assholes. Dissect why they are acting that way. This detaches your ego from their abuse.
2. Implement "Decompression Rituals"
Coming home miserable and letting it out there means the retail job is occupying your home life, too. You must build a wall between them.
The Physical Transition: Do not go straight home. Stop at a park, sit in your car with the radio off for ten minutes, or do a rapid five-minute workout. Something physical must signal to your brain: That world is over for the day.
Vent Productively: Writing down exactly what made you angry or sad in a private journal allows you to get it out of your system without "bleeding" on your roommates, family, or partners.
Phase 2: Pivot (The Short-Term "Escape Hatch")
You have spent two years looking for "similar work" that utilizes transferrable skills. You need a sharper strategy. Many jobs don't want to hire retail workers because they mistakenly assume they lack technical skills. You need a job that values your resilience above all.
Target industries that are "Better Than Retail" (BTR): Less public disrespect, similar or better pay, more stability, M-F hours.
1. Look for These Entry-Level "BTR" Roles:
Warehouse/Logistics (Entry-Level): If you are physically able, this is a great outlet for frustration. There are rarely customers. You work in a team. You get to move. Target: Picker, Packer, Dock Worker, Logistics Clerk.
Data Entry/Office Assistant (Lower-Level): You said your skills don't transfer, but they do. If you can handle a cash register system and POS, you can handle a basic office database. Target: Administrative Assistant, Receptionist, Data Entry Operator, Mailroom Clerk.
Security Guard: Specifically, Corporate or Night Shift security. They want reliable adults who can handle calm, structured environments. There are very few angry customers on the night shift in an office building.
Manufacturing/Production Operator: Many factories will train reliable workers. It pays better than retail and often has good benefits.
2. Re-frame Your Resume for Rejections:
You don’t want to be an "Associate" anymore; you want to be a "Problem Solver." Do not list duties. List metrics.
Old Resume: "Ran cash register, helped customers."
New Resume: "Managed $10k+ in daily transactions with 99.9% accuracy." "Resolved 20+ conflicting customer issues per day under high-pressure conditions." "Trained 3 new employees on company POS and policy."
Phase 3: Build (The Long-Term "Anti-Poverty" Plan)
Your fear about the AI impact on entry-level cybersecurity is valid, but it may be overly pessimistic regarding all tech/skill-based roles. The narrative that AI "fucked" the tech field is true for generic coders, but less true for specialists.
However, given your mental state, forcing yourself into another course right now might lead to burnout and more thrown-away money.
1. Reassess the Tech Dream (But only when stabilized)
The field of Cybersecurity is not dead; it is maturing. If you already took an intro course, you don’t necessarily need more courses. You need Hands-On Skills.
Low-Cost Way Forward: If you ever get your energy back, do not spend money. Spend time. Build a "homelab." Buy a cheap, used business PC, install Linux, and practice attacking and defending your own network. This experience is what actually gets you hired when combined with certifications like CompTIA Security+.
2. Look at Alternative High-Value Skill Careers:
If the tech world is too daunting, look to the trades. You are 26M, the prime age to start an apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships: Electrician, HVAC, Plumbing, or Elevator Mechanic. You are paid to learn. In four years, you aren't an entry-level worker; you are a Journeyman earning a middle-class salary with a union pension, completely immune to generic AI substitution.
Civil Service: Government jobs at the city, county, or state level. They are notoriously slow to hire but incredibly stable, have great benefits, and often value reliable retail experience for their administrative or public services roles.
Your Immediate Homework:
Tonight: Create a 10-minute "decompression ritual." Do not talk to anyone about work until that ritual is complete.
Tomorrow: Locate an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) if your company has one (they often offer 3–6 free counseling sessions). If not, find your local "Crisis Text Line" (text HOME to 741741 in the US/Canada) or a local low-cost mental health clinic. Just to have it ready.
This Weekend: Do not look for jobs you "qualify" for. Look for one "BTR" job role listed above (e.g., Night Security) in your city, and apply to it, using the revamped, metrics-focused language on your resume. Apply once, then stop. Small victories are key.
You are in a cage right now, but the lock is rusty, and you have the strength to break it. Focus on getting your energy back first.