By BILL WATANABE
I once had a boss that I would nominate as “The Worst Boss in the World.” Perhaps some of you have had terrible bosses that you think are the worst; if you haven’t, then consider yourself fortunate and blessed. A terrible boss can make your life miserable, create huge personal stress and anxieties, and totally ruin one’s disposition and outlook on life.
Back in the 1970s, I was trying to “find my passion in work.” I had graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering but realized I was not happy in this field of work. While I was soul-searching, meditating, and praying about what I should do with my life, in order to earn some money in the meantime, I applied for a job with the City of Los Angeles. The position was for a junior engineer and I was called in for an interview.
A man (who was to become my future terrible boss) asked me a series of questions about engineering that I could not answer. After a brief time, I left and thought to myself, “After this poor interview, I can chuck this job goodbye.” A few days later, to my utter surprise, I was offered the position by the city!
On my first day on the job, one of the other engineers showed me around and introduced me to the job. He was a pleasant fellow and we spent several hours walking around City Hall and Parker Center and he showed me the kind of work a mechanical engineer would do. At one point, I asked him, “What is it like to work in this department?” and his reply was “Picture yourself in a Nazi concentration camp.” I soon realized he was not joking nor exaggerating!
I told him I was surprised I was hired because I had performed so poorly during my interview and he told me that’s because no one else wanted the job due to the notorious reputation of the boss. I was too na?ve and lackadaisical to even bother to investigate this and was kicking myself – but then again, I knew I was not going to stay long. My plan was to quit as soon as I “found my passion” so I would endure the horrible boss for a short while — just until I passed my probation period.
As a junior engineer, I was supposed to get training but the boss provided no training except criticism. He was not accessible for questions, nor was I allowed to converse with or ask questions of my colleagues. I observed his insecurities and petty efforts to put others down and elevate himself, leading to cruel behavior towards my colleagues and making them suffer humiliation. I pitied them because they had families to feed and mortgages to pay and could not simply quit their jobs.
The boss once threw my engineering manuals onto the floor because he thought my desk did not look neat. He was a short man and when he did this, I stood glaring down at him nose to nose. I was actually hoping he would strike me in the face so I could try to get him fired. Even now, 50 years later, I wish I had the presence of mind to confront him and threaten to report him to his supervisor, but regrettably I didn’t do it.
I kept waiting for the day I could quit the job and leave. My boss was so horrible my blood pressure shot up by 40 points and got me rejected when I reported for the Army draft physical!
Finally, I left the city and ended the worst 18 months of my life — and then began the best time of my life as a social worker in Little Tokyo, which in fact turned out to be my life’s passion!
—————-
Bill Watanabe writes from Silverlake near Downtown Los Angeles and can be contacted at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those ofThe Rafu Shimpo.
South Bay Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker’ Pirouettes into 10th Season
Wordle today: The answer and hints for March 19
'In This Corner of the World' Opens Friday
Save Our Seniors Network Sponsors Sakura Festival at Atherton Baptist Homes
arT on not claiming the Legends spot: "I am just happy that I made it through"
2024 Miss Western L.A. Introduced
Haven1 Secures $4.6m in Private Round, Backed by Industry Giants
Nisei Week Offers Free Public Dance Practice
Anne Namba Trunk Show at JACCC
INTO THE NEXT STAGE: 'Cobra Kai' — Coming to a Dojo Near You
Photos: The road to the LANXESS gets underway in Cologne
Kawasaki Key to South Pasadena’s Walk
Obon Festival and Bazaar in Las Vegas
Binance Features World of Dypians
‘Portraiture Now’ Opens at JANM May 11
Obon Festival at Guadalupe Buddhist Church This Sunday
Obon Festival and Bazaar in Las Vegas
Altcoinist Launches the ALTT Token
ADL to Sponsor Talk on Asians in Media
Los Angeles City Council Proclaims May 17 Shohei Ohtani Day
President Biden’s AANHPI Advisory Commission Releases Inaugural ReportUCLA Fielding School of Public Health Team Awarded NIH Grant for Study of Asian Immigrant WomenHiroshima Launches Domo TourLittle Tokyo Opens Heart to Homeless KidsTHROUGH THE FIRE: A Different Tour of Tule LakeTourists Flock to Japan After COVID Restrictions LiftedEstate of Corky Lee Announces Book ContractHate Crime Data May Represent Only a Fraction of CasesRafu Shimpo Stop Asian Hate ProjectJapan Leader Sends Offerings to Controversial Tokyo Shrine J.K. Rowling has an explanation for all of Trump's deranged tweets Justin Trudeau forgot a whole province during his Canada Day speech It’s time for Twitter to ban Donald Trump Dude uses Google Autocomplete to help him fill out resumé, will definitely never get a job Trump wants China to put a 'heavy move' on North Korea, whatever that means A Game of Thrones chatbot is here to answer all your burning questions Piers Morgan gets absolutely owned by co Woman briefly trapped in garage with a huge bear Mom's dog identification fail may be the funniest tweet of 2017 This slide reveals Facebook's cringeworthy hate speech policies
0.1972s , 14308.171875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【grandpa young man sex video】THROUGH THE FIRE: The Worst Boss in the World,Feature Flash
