What’s the best revenge you’ve gotten after being fired or let go from a job?

Well the best revenge was being fired from the same company twice (or rather an attempt to fire me) and after a few months I quit for a much better job. I wrote an answer to this before and it was very popular but I deleted my quora account.

I was working for a company which made tractor implements welding together the metal parts. One day I was told there wasn't anything to weld and I would have to go paint some things. I had to repaint lines on the floor for the fork trucks, some shelving, etc. The next day there was more of this. This lasted for a couple of weeks and I thought I'd be back to the welding department soon enough. One day I painted one of the barrels the welding wire came in. When we used up all the wire we would use these barrels for trash cans. I painted an anarchy sign on one of these and the plant manager approached me.

Plant manager:

Why did you do this? Would you like me to paint your car?

Me:

I'm going to have a problem if you paint my car but if you want to come over to my place and paint a trash can I got for free go ahead.

The plant manager went to the welding foreman in an attempt to fire me. I imagine the conversation went like this…

Plant manager: We have to fire Craig. That asshole painted graffiti on company property.

Welding foreman: We can't fire Craig.

Plant manager: Why the hell not?

The welding foreman then goes to the nearest computer to pull up my production rate in the welding department. Screen shows my name with a production rate around 300%. END OF DISCUSSION.

But wait… there is more

The next month or so I had been transferred to the paint department. I would be both doing wet paint and powder coating. I had never done powder coat and wasn't real good at it. During this time the painters started complaining about the welders. They treated me like shit too and I soon found out why. They were training me to take their jobs. I guess the company was going to keep their most valued assets, the welders at all costs. Things were slowing down and since finding good welders was complicated we kept our pay but did other work. This way the company would not have to hire new welders when things picked up.

Not only was I not good at powder coat painting but I was being paid more than the ones who could do it well. Eventually I was transferred to assembly in a building across the street. I wasn't good at this either. Brad was the assembly plant manager. Brad would get frustrated with me for not getting the production rate. I would always tell him that this was not in my job description when I was hired as a welder but I would do my best. Brad also hounded on me for being a minute late, literally a minute late a few times. Sometimes he complained that I was late when I was not. We would have to clock in twice. Once at the door and again at our work stations. He would often record my clock in at my work station after it would take a few minutes to get there from the door.

Up until this point I could be 10 minutes late and no one would say anything because we had a grace period of 10 minutes. I was mostly there early but sometimes I would be late.

Brad had enough of me coming in 1 minute late from one of the few times I was late that month. Keeping in mind no one ever bothered me about punctuality until Brad. I assume Brad was also upset that I was not meeting the production rate for assembly. So one day the conversation about my termination began…

Brad: I have to fire you craig. You are always late and you never get the work done on time. You will need to go see the plant manager across the street and he will get your termination processed.

Me: Ok. Later.

Not in the least bit worried about losing my job I walk across the street and go into the plant managers office. He asks why I am there and not working at the assembly plant. So I let him know what Brad had told me.

The plant manager politely tells me to return to the assembly plant to do my job and ask Brad to come see him. I do what I am told and imagine the conversation between my welding foreman and the plant manager is now being had with the plant manager and Brad.

After explaining to Brad that the company would have to hire 3 welders to replace me this ended a second attempt at firing me. Both the plant manager and Brad could not stand me but still putting up with me ruining a free trash can as well as not being good at anything else other than welding was not enough for them to fire me and hire 3 more welders.

Brad returned and he was pissed but could do nothing. The next day I was a little late to work, the whole entire grace period late. It was on purpose too, lol. Brad could do nothing to me nor the plant manager. My mad skills were just too valuable and I could have probably demanded a raise after the last attempt to fire me but I had other plans.

When I was welding there a lot of the other welders would watch me and try to imitate what I did to get the number I did. The foreman one day shortly after hiring me asked how many baskets I had left to weld at the end of my shift. He thought it would take about 3 or 4 days to complete. I told him it's done.

What? He asks shocked and surprised.

The baskets are finished. I told him

He had to go look for himself as he could not believe I could do it that fast. All of them passed inspections too. I never heard of any of my work being rejected in the welding department.

No one could ever touch my production rate no matter how hard they tried. The closest anyone got to my production rate was around 150% still only half of mine. Some of the welders were upset because I was raising the production rate expectations. I didn't give a shit, I was going to work like I always had, fast and efficient.

A few weeks after this I was able to take vacation time. During this time I applied for another job out of state that utilized more of my skills and paid much better.

When returning to my old job I informed them that I would be leaving and I would not be doing any painting or my 2 week notice would turn into a 2 minute notice. I really dislike painting. I got my way. I left for a better job.

Brad was angry the whole time I was there after his attempt to fire me and probably still gets salty to this day if reminded about me from 10 years ago. It probably really pissed him off when I came back after his attempt to fire me and now I am telling him I am quitting for a better job. Thing is I was only there to weld and get paid for it. I didn't care about who was angry if I came in late nor was I plotting my revenge for any attempts to fire me or anything else. These people did a fine job of pissing themselves off over a free trash can and a man struggling to keep up production in a field outside of his profession.