# Fired today



## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

I took this guy's company from nothing to 100K+ in his first year. I was the only full time employee. Worked my ass of course, usually without a break for lunch. No pay raise the entire year. Easy to understand how that + the 27K a year he paid me made me say "It has been a year and the pay raise better not be an insulting $1 an hour.". Some of you here actually know the guy. 

My only way of surviving till I find my way out is to withdraw all my 401K plan which has dwindled down to nothing because of the bad economy. It will take 3 months of only paying bills to use all the savings.

I'm filing for unemployment as I type this post. Does anyone know for sure if TWC actually approves you for receiving unemployment if you were fired?

--Nikolay


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

That is HORRID. I don't know about the unemployment. Generally speaking, if you are fired you can get unemployment.


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## kimcadmus (Nov 23, 2008)

Damn Niko, I'm so sorry. I am having to refrain from using other expletives for your employer. Call me and we can go have a drink (if you do that).


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## milalic (Aug 26, 2005)

niko said:


> I took this guy's company from nothing to 100K+ in his first year. I was the only full time employee. Worked my ass of course, usually without a break for lunch. No pay raise the entire year. Easy to understand how that + the 27K a year he paid me made me say "It has been a year and the pay raise better not be an insulting $1 an hour.". Some of you here actually know the guy.
> 
> My only way of surviving till I find my way out is to withdraw all my 401K plan which has dwindled down to nothing because of the bad economy. It will take 3 months of only paying bills to use all the savings.
> 
> ...


You should be able to get unemployment.


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## Cocobid (Jan 26, 2007)

Oh Nico!!!!!!!
I have the TWC manual sitting next to me in my office all 309 pages. 
It depends.
If this person has access to these boards be careful. 
If I can help feel free~~~
You can in some instances work part time and still draw unemployment. Can get very complicated be careful how & what you file under. 
Once Again so sorry 
Karen


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

Sorry everyone....I know I am not from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, but I thought I could help:

Niko--You are eligible for unemployment if you were fired. Be aware that your unemployment check will start to decrease after six weeks, so you really need to be job-hunting. Also, and most importantly, when you get another position, REMEMBER TO terminate your unemployment with the Unemployment Office before your first paycheck. 

You will be taxed on your unemployment benefits next year, too!!!! I know this because I went through it a few years ago and my buddy just went through it about a year ago.

This really, really, really stinks for you and I am very, very sorry about this! In the long run, it will be your former employer's loss and not yours. Chin up buddy! You'll be ok!


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## Tex Guy (Nov 23, 2008)

Niko,

Your eligibility for unemployment will be dependent on whether you were fired "for cause." Asking for a raise will not be considered cause. Unless he has several written disciplinary actions in a personnel file, you are probably OK. Having said that, he could still file a protest to your application. But you should be able to overcome that easily.

I'm really sorry to hear about this. I've been through it where I was out of work for a full year. The good news is that it is possible to improve your situation in this process. Remember what Rahm Emanuel says, "Never waste a good crisis." With your ingenuity you'll figure out a way to leave that position in the dust.

bill

ps... check your email.


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## Vivarium Concepts (Sep 6, 2006)

*Niko,
I hate to hear this!
Be careful sucking your 401K dry, it will cost you much more in the long run.
Hang in there!*


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## gravy9 (Aug 28, 2008)

Hi Niko,

I'm extremely sorry to hear that. One thing's for sure. Eventually you will get out of it and when you do, it wil always be for the better. Hang in there.

I'm in the same boat as you are and am in the process of reducing my tank count from 5, probably to 1. Not sure, if I can hang on to the one. I was laid off in December and am in the process of starting my own business.

Question to you, considering the fact that you built a business for another person, why not do it for yourself?


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## dj2606 (Oct 15, 2008)

Tex Guy said:


> Niko,
> 
> Your eligibility for unemployment will be dependent on whether you were fired "for cause." Asking for a raise will not be considered cause. Unless he has several written disciplinary actions in a personnel file, you are probably OK. Having said that, he could still file a protest to your application. But you should be able to overcome that easily.
> 
> ...


Man that sucks. Sorry to hear.

Yes Unemployment is TAXED. I am currently an accountant and have worked as a tax consultant. YOU need to ask to have federal and state taxes withheld, otherwise you will pay the following tax period when filing.

Good Luck.


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Hey Niko, sorry to hear what happened. I was also out of work for months last year. Don't give up and in the end you will triumph!


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Niko,

Sorry to hear this. That stinks!!!

This economy is really starting to hurt people......

Maybe there's a way to turn it to your advantage???? If you were able to build up a business for someone else, why not do it for yourself? Going into business is definitely risky, but the one nice thing is that you can never be fired! You might go belly up or be stuck eating mac & cheese for a few years while it gets going but it might be worth it in the end.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

gravy9 said:


> Hi Niko,
> 
> I'm extremely sorry to hear that. One thing's for sure. Eventually you will get out of it and when you do, it wil always be for the better. Hang in there.
> 
> ...


Ravi,

Being out of work around Christmas like you have been really makes for an adjustment in one's perspective. I went through that back in 2002 with Enron when they used the fire alarm system to rush about 5000 employees out of the building on Dec 05. It was the first evidence to me that if you do things without a good perspective you will always face the same situations.

Working for myself - working extremely hard the last 2+ years I saw that I can accomplish things that few others can. It's also true that if you are good at what you do you don't necessarily get ahead if you are under someone. It's about seeing things realistically and not expecting the impossible. The rare fish business that Milalic and I started last year - Invertz Factory - has really taken off, but not enough so I can work only that. So realistically I need a day job. After what I have done the last 2 years or so there isn't much I can't handle.

Thank you and Bryce for asking about that. Discussion really helps emotionally in times like that.

--Nikolay


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## gravy9 (Aug 28, 2008)

Couple more things. However hard it might be, try not to look backwards and try to make sense out of it. Let go of any anger you may have as it will only make it worse for you. We are at this point not because of any faults of ours, but that's the card that's been handed to us. 

Look forward, and just plough right ahead. From what I know from this forum, you are a very passionate person with your work habits, hobbies and interests. Channel it towards what you want to be and go full steam. No one can stop you. I wish I had the same passion that you exhibit in this forum, be it with lighting, plant hunting or helping the fellow hobbyists. 

Talking surely helps to get it out of your system. 

Good things will come to you my friend.


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

Hey Niko,
you sound like a great guy and I'm sure someone will snatch you up!
Take this time to do some things you didn't have time for before. Like smelling the roses. 
penny


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## Cocobid (Jan 26, 2007)

Nico start building those famous lights and selling them. 
So many want to switch over to T's. Aquabid them. 
You have a website, use it!! 
We in the metro area are very very lucky and not being hit nearly as hard as other areas of the country. Two camps of people that I encounter in our stores, one having the best years ever, others still employed investment portfolios cleaned out. I read somewhere that the DFW area is at the top of a list of viable areas to ride this out. 
We all know you are talented, go out and put it to use for yourself. 
Nico since I was 20 years old I have always owned a company, once you open that door and see success from something you do~~~~
It is hard but OH so worth it.

Turn the anger & hurt into something positive for Nico & your lovely wife!!!!
The husband lives by a couple of mantra's "when one door closes, another one opens" & "skate to where the puck is going" from his hockey years.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Some of the tank sizes don't have ready made good T5 fixtures. That might be a great niche for you.


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## CrownMan (Sep 12, 2005)

Niko, sorry to hear you about your job situation. I'm sure with your work ethic and dedication, you will be back in business very soon.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

So sorry to read about this, Niko. +1 on what others have said; you've got talent and creativity and the know-how to put it to good use.

My prayers go out for you.

-Dave


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## kwc1974 (Jan 4, 2006)

Niko,
Sorry to hear about your situation, don't let it get you down too much. I did with me and that was the most miserable year of my life. Things will turn and it will get better.

Kevin


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## MacFan (Jul 30, 2006)

Yes, hard as it is, do not go into interviews and talk negatively about your previous job or employer, even if it sounds constructive to you. Just say it was time to move on, or the company got into financial difficulties, etc. I know this from experience.  

PM me your email address and I'll invite you to join my LinkedIn network. It's professional networking. You put in your jobs and schools and find people you knew there. Then you get access to their friends, and their friends, etc. So you can contact someone via a friend of a friend and usually that reach goes very far. It's setup so each person has to pass your note along, so it avoids abuse. The cool thing is that you can look at job listings there and see if there are people in your network who work there, then you have an "in."

In terms of unemployment. Employers will generally give TWC a bunch of reasons why it was "for cause" but you can explain how it happened and it hasn't been a problem in my experience. Their unemployment insurance rates go up if they have to pay claims, but they have to show cause. But unless they can point to examples where they warned you about some behavior and then later fired you for it, it shouldn't be a problem. 

If you want to pursue the LED lighting. I got some 1 watt LEDs and a driver, but haven't hooked them up yet. It's a proof of concept at this point as the stuff isn't cheap, but it shouldn't be too bad compared to other options. 

What is your background BTW? In otherwords, what do you do? 

Michael


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Thank you all for the replies!

Mike, 

Thank you for the advice about not sharing the negativity. Personally I feel that if you yourself allow for the bitterness to stay with you it's not a matter of getting/missing a job opportunity. You allow your life to sink to a lower quality. So I think I know to not think or talk too much about what I saw being wrong. I'm not sure that for us as a society that's the best way to deal with things that are wrong, but I know it works like that on a personal level.

I will contact you about the LinkedIn network. My backround and experience are very diverse - 2 Master's degrees, science teching experience, database programming experience, customer service experience in 4 fields, specialty painting - you see . I don't even know how you make sense of all that on a single resume. I can change my resume to show at least 4 different directions.

I don't know if we want to discuss that, but all of us will agree that any employer will claim anything they can think of to say they warned you multiple times about your bad work. Especially if the employer is a 1 man company. From their standpoint even $1/year increase of their unemployment tax is completely unacceptable. So how does TWC decide who's right who's wrong is unclear to me.

--Nikolay


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## MacFan (Jul 30, 2006)

Also check out www.theladders.com. I don't have much experience with them, but they might be useful.

I think it's up to the employer to prove the firing was for cause, not just say it was, but I can't say for sure.

We're looking for someone with business experience to partner with us on the public workshop thing, but we're still working on the business plan and have no funding sources lined up so it wouldn't help your finances.

Michael


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## Texex94 (Jul 29, 2004)

Hey Nikolay,

I'm so sorry to hear about your job. Keep your chin up and stay positive. I've lost my job in the past and it leaves a really bad taste in the mouth when you see execs abusing the finances. Heck, my company has been going through "adjusting to scale" the past 4 years and I think my luck will eventually run out. Hopefully this economy will turn around to provide better opportunities for everyone.

Hang in there buddy. You're a talented person and you'll land on your feet no problem!

Bailin


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## Sollo (Mar 10, 2009)

Niko - Really sorry to see this post! I know that you will land on your feet in a better position in a better environment!
ps: I know you don't need this yet if you have any customers tanks who can use Wisteria or Myrio Green - call me - I can drop it by your house tonight. just pulled this afternoon.


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