It was the late summer of 1995 and I
had just completed my tour of active duty army and I was honorably discharged and
now a member of the Florida Army National Guard. I was 21 years old and looking
for a job to support my wife and newborn son. I interviewed with the St. Johns
County Road and Bridge Department as an entry level maintenance worker. I received
the news that I was hired and this was my first full time civilian job making
$6.85 an hour.
I was excited about the job since
now I can support my family and move on with my future. I thought I had made a
good choice in taking this job since I was raised to be responsible for my
family and to take care of all the family’s financial needs. I quickly learned
that making $350.00 every two weeks was not cutting it and I was falling
further and further behind on the bills. I than made the decision that I was
not going to settle for this entry level position and I was going to move up through
the ranks at this job and make more money and gain more responsibility. I became
the model employee always eager to learn new trades and develop my skills. I would
go to all the supervisors and ask to be placed with the most knowledgeable
employees so I could be like a sponge and learn skills needed to succeed.
I was asked one day by one of the
supervisors why I was so eager to learn so quickly and my response was blunt
and straight to the point. I said to them so I too can become a supervisor in a
very short time. I think that they found this troubling and a threat to their
own careers. I soon found myself on menial tasks that required only physical
labor and no problem solving skills. Instead of verbally protesting this change
in attitude toward me I just kept my head up and continued to work hard.
In the summer of 1996 I was set to
attend two weeks of annual training with my National Guard unit. The day before
I was leaving for this training I received word that I was being fired from
this job due to lack of ambition, absence during probation, and lacking the
skills needed to perform this job function. I was horrified that the management
of this organization had turned against me which I had given 100% of my
dedication too.
I filed a complaint with the United
States Labor Division on the basis that they had discriminated against me based
upon my service as a National Guardsman due to one of the circumstances of my
termination. During this year of service I was absent two days for military
duty, and all my evaluations were superior. The end result was I was the first
case in Florida under the 1994 bill that protected Guardsman from termination
based upon absence during military service. I won this decision and was placed
back in the organization with all back pay, seniority, and vacation time after
a year of being out of the job.
I learned that in some
organizations you have to be careful not to appear to be overzealous and be
careful in making some of the management feel threatened about their own job
security. This changed my way of how I approached promotional opportunities and
to keep my intentions to myself based on the circumstances of the environment. I
have never lost that same desire to succeed but have reevaluated the method
that I attain these goals that I have set for myself.
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