Learning Curve

Shannon Thibodeau Dominguez, chairwoman of the fundraising committee for the Latinas Network: “I was fired when I was 18 while working at a real estate title company in Lynchburg. I worked there for a month and was let go because I wasn’t learning fast enough. During the three-way call for unemployment, my boss said that I presented myself in the interview as knowing more than I actually knew. From the beginning, the boss had offered to train me, but the reality is that she didn’t have the time or capacity to train me, and I felt lost a lot. What the boss said about me made me insecure and doubtful of my abilities. Eventually I let it go and embraced that I don’t know everything but my eagerness to learn is undeniable.”

Wiped out

Emma Lam Beall, cleaning service owner: “I’ve had cleaning service 28 years—before that I pretty much quit when I got fed up.”

Eased Out

Larry Bly, former ad agency owner, radio DJ: “I was fired many times by clients at my ad agency and for strange reasons. I was [also] gingerly eased out the door at several radio stations. I had a client, a bank, that I had handled for five years or so, and one day it up and hired a marketing director. I was fired because I wasn't in tune to their marketing needs. Turns out the lady who was hired was offering services to the bank president that didn't fall into our job description. After working for WROV AM for over 40 years I came in one Saturday morning to do my usual weekend oldies show. The program director walks in and simply says, ‘When you finish your air shift today, kindly leave your station key on the front desk.’ He was nice about it though. The new station owners had decided to change the AM station to sports/talk, so mine was the last music show aired. It was a bitter pill, but pretty standard stuff in the broadcast business.”

Rebounded

Diana Christopulos, former counseling firm owner: “I quit a big job but have never been fired. It was a tough rebound and also the best thing I ever did.”

Unsigned

Bob Campbell, retired from Salem VA: “I was fired once. I refused to sign a resignation letter that [his supervisor] wrote, and it was later determined to be an unfounded termination. I believe, [the counselor] had control issues, and I was not the person she thought she was hiring. She was terminated six months later, and I was hired to fill her position.”