How Do I Overcome the Fear of Being Fired?

Being afraid you are going to be fired can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. So how do you break the cycle of feeling bad, doing poorly because you feel bad, then feeling worse? In this episode, we will cover the root cause of being afraid at work and how we can overcome it.
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[@kjerdine7236]

This is good for someone that has extreme anxiety like me! Thanks so much, this has calmed me completely down🙌🏽

[@IAmTimCorey]

I am glad it was helpful.

[@eezyville1704]

I felt this way about my previous job. It wasn't software development, just general engineering. My boss was terrible at management, he had nothing for me to do. When he did it was mostly "Make me an excel tool kit". I asked for more work, he had none, looked for more work with other managers, they didn't know what to give me. I made up my own projects that I thought would be useful and showed it to my boss. He liked the work but I didn't do it in excel so he had a hard time accepting the work. Those projects taught me Python, SQL, and general software development. My boss left the company a few months ago unexpectedly. I was let go on the same day they gave me a raise. Didn't know what to do with me. Sometimes it just bad management.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks for sharing that. Hope you are better off now.

[@Uniqflav]

I recently got laid off after 5 months as a junior software engineer because they needed a senior developer and I wasn’t learning fast enough and taking the progress I should have. I think I let my anxiety take over specially during lockdown. I do believe in thinks happening for a reason so I’m continuing to learn and hopefully have another opportunity in the future

[@wayahedia9989]

That's the attitude. Don't blame yourself if you still need to get up to speed on things. And remember.. you can not possibly know everything.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Great attitude! Learn from it, grow, and move on to better things. You got this!

[@jackb348]

Been fired, been laid off, been unemployed sometimes for years. Even had a nervous breakdown which trashed a lot of my career (25 years as a software/web engineer). Worked for questionable people on Craigslist, also have dealt with mentally ill psycho project managers and people who have no clue and could care less about doing a quality job. I now have an awesome job and I am highly valued. Why? Because I look as each step of the way as building experience, both in technological knowledge, how to manage my time and how to communicate. Also of importance is learning how to use tact, be objective and focus on your real priorities in life (sometimes it’s just having a steady paycheck) It doesn’t matter where you go, you will work with people you don’t like and who don’t like you. Bad code and poor management practices are rampant in software development. It’s important to learn to be objective, find your bliss (not easy) and embrace your suffering. When you can master the latter and not give a shit if you live in a dumpster then nothing will faze you. Life is a lesson.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks for sharing.

[@danieltkach2330]

This resonated so much with me, thank you for sharing Jack.

[@lindal4088]

Thank you for this video. Currently feeling the same especially I am returning to IT field after years of being a stay home mom :)

[@IAmTimCorey]

You got this! Women in your position often bring significant skills in organizing and seeing larger "pictures" of what the work is trying to achieve. Smart businesses are looking for that. Also, check out local meet-ups and organizations focusing on helping folks in your same situation, if still looking for a position.

[@Northbergh]

It might not be the same everywhere. But when I studied law, one of our professors expressed that he is always very wary when facing off against female lawyers, because they made it despite all the disadvantages they face (and that means, they are dangerous, on the top of the game). When you return to your career, I hope you will find the same level of awe and respect that my teachers had for female professionals.

[@stefanbogdanovic590]

Simply, just don't take it too personal. Simple as that.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You still need to build that trust and line of communication.

[@aniljha6106]

My boss : beside your work you should also do my work.

[@stefanbogdanovic590]

The main problem from my perspective is they (bosses) have ubnormally high expectations, and what they try to do is to convince you that you are the man of job. That can handle that task, we they are doing it? Because they are trying to lower their possibility of making a mistake so they can flame on you. Or fire you.

[@ronwaters1297]

What is not stated in this video is that some bosses are sociopaths. They foster a culture of fear that can make their employees physically ill. They love the power they have over people. This construct is way more prevalent than you may think. From my understanding, Both Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos followed that management style. Bottom line: Having a good boss, or at least one that's mostly hands-off and respects your judgement, and having good co-workers that will lend a hand when you get stuck on something, may be the biggest determinants of job satisfaction, IMHO.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Definitely having a good boss is key. It is also important to foster good behavior in your boss as well. If your boss treats you well, don't take advantage of that. Make them glad they did by doing great work. Often, harsh treatment is a learned behavior because it gets the best results. Give the best results when you are treated well.

[@coreyorndoff9417]

I just started my first software development job yesterday so to have this video today made me laugh cause it was perfect timing. This is great information especially with working remote. Thanks Tim.

[@IAmTimCorey]

You got this!

[@mustakoski471]

God closes one door while opening another one for you!

[@IAmTimCorey]

And God gave you the tools to learn and grow so you can make things better for yourself.

[@MrPDTaylor]

How fitting is this video! I started my first software developer job last month and I fear it every day.

[@Vlfkfnejisjejrjtjrie]

Especially during the economic downturn.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Hang in there! Use the tips.

[@carlosjosejimenezbermudez9255]

What I did is work hard on learning as fast as I was able to in as short a time as possible. Eventually the fear went away in my first job. It came back again when I switched jobs into a team management position.

[@rollthers3157]

Learn as much as you can and practice for your next job. If your manager sucks leave as soon as it makes sense.

[@ugqueen]

Same! And I have little communication with my boss!

[@MargetMints]

Thank you so much 😢 I do this, I totally hide from my boss and don't communicate because of anxiety... And me and my psychologist found out I had a terrible concept of authority, I'm working on that and I am less and less afraid to cross word with him 😊

[@IAmTimCorey]

I am glad it was helpful.

[@0afr]

I can't agree more what you are saying about the annual reviews and hope all bosses notice this

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks

[@bori3604]

*Save enough money and there's no need to be anxious*

[@IAmTimCorey]

That’s a long-term goal that takes getting through a number of years without that safety net.

[@MatejKrhin]

Sending this video to my coworkers and boss, for a better tomorrow. Thank you Tim!

[@IAmTimCorey]

Great!

[@dignifiedamerican8171]

Thank you,this video was helpful to me despite not being in the software development field. I felt unnerving after getting a three way call with the H.R manager and my supervisor to inform me of my dismal from my job since my performance wasn't up to part. However, in my defense this came out of nowhere since feedback and communication from my supervisor was completely missing. I have a secound chance but its still nerve wrecking considering my actions will be carefully examined. This video helped me understand that I need to inniate communication on feedback by asking how my performance is or what is my supervisor ideal worker because this situation can be saved.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Hang in there. Be proactive and make the best of the situation. Glad you got the chance to get you performance in line with expectations.

[@MrDmac09]

Thanks so much for this Tim. Wonderful advice. Pure gold :)

[@IAmTimCorey]

My pleasure!

[@KristinAlayna]

What do you do when your greatest fear becomes your reality? How do you get comfortable with a new job after being fired? How do you get all your managers to like you (other than the obvious)? How do you recover from toxic managers that sabotaged you to get you fired? How do you trust people in the workplace? How can you make sure you're never fired? How do you deal with discouraging managers? What if you do everything wrong and nothing is ever good enough for your manager?

[@IAmTimCorey]

Excellent questions and ones that sound both personal and heartbreaking. These are definitely ones I want to address in a future episode. In the meantime, let me give you a few words of advice that might help. First, I was fired (as a senior developer, not just early on in my career). I know it is tough, but don't let being fired define you as a person. Let it define that specific job relationship, not your value as a person or as an employee in general. At the time for me, being fired was tough. I kept coming back to feeling like a failure (and I hate failure). Looking back on it now, it was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I wasn't in a great situation (maybe I'll go into details in the video) but I was trying to make it work rather than taking a step back to ask if I should be making it work. By leaving, I ended up getting into a MUCH better environment (with significantly more pay as well - the pay just the icing on the cake) where I was valued and where I could thrive. You should always evaluate honestly a situation like this. Just because it shouldn't define you (and it shouldn't) doesn't mean you cannot learn from it. Learn lots from it. Learn how to better evaluate a new situation. Learn to spot the warning signs earlier. Learn how to start jumping ship earlier. And lastly, learn to improve what you can. Even if the firing was unfair, unjust, and wrong doesn't mean you cannot identify things you could improve. That does not mean those things were reasons to fire you. That doesn't mean you should feel bad about the situation. That just means that no one is perfect and we can all grow. If you let anger and frustration cloud yourself to any flaws on your part, you can miss some valuable growth opportunities. Again, let me be clear - this is not victim-blaming. If you are a victim of an unjust situation, it was unjust. Don't find some small thing and think you share blame in an unjust situation. Just don't overlook seeing if you can fix that small thing to be even better for your next employer. Trusting people is hard. It is extremely hard after you have been burned. I can't tell you a magic cure for that. There are a lot of people out there that suck. I wish that weren't true. However, there are also a LOT of people out there that are genuinely great. It is going to take some faith and discernment to trust people going forward. Here's a small tip - look for small businesses. I've found better success with smaller companies, where owners are more likely to see the direct impact of their decisions. Larger corporations tend to suffer from treating people like cogs. There you are more dependent on finding a good manager (again, there are tons of good managers - there are just lots of bad managers too). At my last company, my boss was one of the great ones. He genuinely cared about his employees. The clues were there even in the interview process - when we discussed the vacation/sick time/work week policies, they weren't just about getting the most possible out of the employees through long hours and little vacation. Just don't forget that people are imperfect. Every boss will have weaknesses. Having been burned so badly, the tendency will be to see the flaws very clearly while glossing over the positives. Do what you can to open up a dialog. Talk to your boss, if you can, before a situation escalates on either end. Going forward, one thing that helps you do better in a new environment is to establish what a high-performing employee does. Then try to hit that standard. Then talk about your progress towards that mark. Sometimes, what the boss is expecting from a high-performing employee isn't quite what you would expect. In that case, knowing the expectations will help you better aim. Bottom line here: some people suck. Getting fired does not define you. You can do this. You have value and there are organizations that need your skills that also have good working environments. You just need to find them (yep, that can be hard). You've got this. I wish you all the best in your search for a new job. I hope this answer helped at least a little. I've got this marked as a high priority for a future video. Because of my recording schedule, that still puts it out a month or two.

[@chapman137]

@@IAmTimCorey Hi Tim thank you so much for taking the time to share some of your experiences. There's a lot to unpack and learn here. Stay blessed!

[@mirragemelkyr]

It's good to keep good communication as you said, my last boss thoughts on me were "You're so good that you will ever have to work a lot extra than others, and you have to just accept it" then as you said I could keep a channel of communication and I just understood that the company won't give me a good reward for the extra effort. So a misalignment had to be detected in order to keep motivated, but that's the power of the communication.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Absolutely! Thank you for sharing.

[@ronwaters1297]

Bosses need to have one-on-ones with their direct reports, at least once a month. That way, they can communicate the 'polishing widgets' issue before it festers into a poor review. Also, it gives the boss a chance to get to know their employee (and vice-versa) and it opens the door in case that employee needs to talk to them about an issue.

[@IAmTimCorey]

At my company, we have eliminated the annual review. An annual review implies that we are going to wait until once a year to point out problems and reward good work. That's detrimental. Instead, I promise my employees that if I see something that bugs me or that I think is not right, we will talk about it right away. The same is true when they do something great. We talk about it right then. The annual review is replaced with an annual goal-setting/vision-casting session instead. Identifying where we want the employee to be in the next year and planning how they will get there.

[@ronwaters1297]

@@IAmTimCorey - You sound like a good boss ! Few and far between. And we won't even get into 'forced ranking', which turns employees against each other. Microsoft used to do that, IIRC. So did a former employer of mine.

[@belmiris1371]

Thanks! You hit many of the high and low points of my long development career (and some mistakes I made).

[@IAmTimCorey]

Yup, work long enough and most of us will experience it.

[@jankool01]

Yep - make your boss look good - deliver stuff that works on time. If you are able, it would be interesting to hear about you being fired.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Noted! Added to my list

[@alihamud322]

Is it important to make Boss happy? What about if it is not what you signed?

[@sumanahaldar9289]

Thanks Tim for this great video.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Very welcome

[@misterbulger]

As a construction guy im always one mistake from being fired. I also angered a client pretty badly the other day and now my crew is no longer allowed on site. If i can get thru this crap ill be there for the long haul lol.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Bummer. I hope things went well.

[@Korudo]

This is super helpful. Thank you!

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@NBGTFO]

Common sense is all this is. But this isn't going to save your job if you don't have actual work to do. When the work dries up, your neck is on the chopping block and you'd better be prepared for the axe to drop because it will. Every time. Stay in front of the axe by recognizing when it's time to move on from a job before the pink slip is dropped on you.

[@IAmTimCorey]

True but it isn’t often that a company runs out of work to do unless the company is going under. Even if they are downsizing, this will help you survive the purge.

[@numinaoneiron1655]

Recently I've been employed and the project I've been assigned to as been worked and reworked upon for the past decade. Upon debugging the code to get a better feel for how the system is structured, I was overwhelmed by the amount of solutions and projects created by past developers who have worked on the project. When I run into errors and ask some of the developers on my team for help, they reply with "I don't know!". It seems as though much of the infrastructure was written before they joined the project, and the original developers have now left the company. The project is a large desktop application using WPF. My question is: "What is the best way to breakdown and digest an old project for a new developer working on it?".

[@IAmTimCorey]

This video should help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqi2ZGh5i9Smrac Basically, try to understand one piece at a time and then document it. If you can, make it better. Then move on.

[@heytusa]

Thank you. This was really helpful

[@IAmTimCorey]

You're welcome!

[@ranaislam2921]

You are truly awsome

[@IAmTimCorey]

Glad you liked it.

[@chapman137]

Hi Corey, this was really helpful. From what I gather the key here is good communication, being able to talk openly with your boss. But what if you have a speech impediment which gets in the way of communicating how you want and when you want in the workplace for example a mild or severe stutter.

[@IAmTimCorey]

That depends on the situation. First, be open with your boss about it. Work together on ideas that will help. Second, be ok with not being perfect. One practical idea might be to use chat software to talk for certain conversations that are simpler. For the more important ones, having a face to face is still important.

[@stewarthyde5111]

First, there is a major difference between being fired and laid off, and this is important because of COVID19. Being fired would be something like worker using a resource for their own use which I seen personal when some use company time for preparing for next job. Worst case is when someone is stealing information. Some things are totally out of one’s control, which is my situation. I found out today that my former boss left the company. The problem is not people in IT department. I believe COVID19 I protected and blessed because this is a wake-up call and gave me time to improve my skills. But there are benefits of communication like this, I was close to getting a job with a respectable company but it did not happen, but I have a possibility of back channels to reopen that possibility. Imposter syndrome is a huge issue now for me-with so much experience in C++ and desired to get into Blazor, employers want actual work and not GitHub. I have full confidence I can handle it and a lot of this is thanks to you Tim., but it not happening.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Definitely. Getting laid off can be unavoidable, although sometimes the same actions will help you avoid it (if your boss has to choose who to lay off).

[@marcusmaunula5018]

Having been through a number of IT-crashes I have learned to be prepared. If you want ultimate safety, go for Cobol and you can maintain mainframe code a few more decades :D. Course releated. Have you thought about looking into Internationalization? That is a topic we don't see much in Asp.net core courses.

[@IAmTimCorey]

I did cover it in my Exploring C#: Blazor WebAssembly course.

[@marcusmaunula5018]

@@IAmTimCorey Was it a separate from the series? Thanx for letting me know. There are fewer than you might think :).

[@mapplesyrup7661]

Thank you Tim ☺️

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome

[@biscuitbakerful]

The Zen of Tim

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thank you!

[@SwatiAgarw]

Good one Tim. Didn’t know you also do guidance videos.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Yes I do! Check out my Dev Question playlist. I have a blog too - www.iamtimcorey.com/blog

[@incognegro9178]

My employer has fired 2 people of 20 since I’ve been there for 1 year. 5 other people have quit over the same year, yes of the same 20 people. I freak out regularly.

[@IAmTimCorey]

I can understand that. Do what you can to improve your abilities and your usefulness to the company. It also sounds like it is a good time to polish your resume and your portfolio so that you can find another job that is less stressful.

[@GrampaCaligula]

Maybe as a side question (one that fits my current predicament): What if you realized too late after taking a position that you (or they) are not going to be a good fit? How do you deal with developer burnout?

[@wayahedia9989]

1. Ask for a raise. If you get it, then they value your work and you will have an easier time dealing with it. Money talks. 2. Give notice and move on.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Communicate with your boss. Focus on what you ARE a good fit for and try to set expectations and work scope to align with that. Give it a chance, but if it is not working out, it is easier to get a new job when you already have a job. If possible, don't quit until you have something new lined up.

[@lm0703]

Very good advice.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Glad you think so!

[@mauricestich9240]

Thank you! That is soooo true!!

[@IAmTimCorey]

Welcome! Hang in there.

[@ranaislam2921]

Thanks for great video

[@IAmTimCorey]

My pleasure

[@santhoshn3766]

Thanks Tim!

[@IAmTimCorey]

You bet!

[@dracocendrillion9963]

Hello tim great video really motivated me. I am in the works of using my c# knowledge to help the company and have had multiple talks (this is not my current position i am a drafter) but when reviews came nothing really happened no raise no good job just them telling me to fix other irrelevant things. Am i wrong to be a bit mad at the situation what advice would you give me . Awesome video and sorry about the long comment😂

[@IAmTimCorey]

You aren't wrong to be upset. This is fairly common. I did a video on how to get a raise ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHbEmJhjf992nqssi=EHYECr2HciWF17mb ) that might be of help.

[@dracocendrillion9963]

@IAmTimCorey thanks I will definitely check it out. Also the c# mastercourse has definitely helped alot. Especially the debugging ones 😆

[@sharpcoder5056]

Hello Tim Great videos as always ;) , i have two Questions please : 1- are all tutorials on your youtube channel also available in your paid courses? 2- Do u have a tutorial about creating and using a Custom Control in WPF ? sorry if my Questions are irrelevant to the current topic , I would appreciate your response. thank u :)

[@IAmTimCorey]

No, most of my KZbin videos are not offered as paid content. The only exceptions are the TimCo Retail Manager series (I sell a course that has the source code for each step, but KZbin always has the latest content - the courses lag behind) and the C# Application from Start to Finish course (the paid course includes source code, database scripts, ad-free videos, and two add-on courses for replacing the UI with WPF and ASP.NET MVC). Other than that, no KZbin content is on IAmTimCorey.com. On that site, I have a lot of courses that are not on KZbin (and will never be on KZbin).

[@larrye]

Easy for me. I paid off all my debts ,my house and have a 6 month emergency fund. Now, I have to guard myself not to tell higher ups to F-off when they start feeding me a bunch of BS.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Great for you! Continue being smart because your reputation is just as important as your skills.

[@tomthele1648]

Tim, very well said. A mentor once told me something that changed my career. My job, as an employee, is to make my BOSS successful. If my boss wins, I and the whole team wins. OK, maybe 1% of you have some odd situation where that may not hold true, but for the rest of us, its the path to success. That motivated me to keep communication lines open and build trust with my boss. It seems to have worked very well for me.

[@NBGTFO]

Well, if you're not making your boss happy by making him successful and look good in his boss's eyes, you're not going to have that job very long. That goes without saying. I've had bosses that I had deep trust in and good communications, but they are not typically the person who makes the decision to lay you off.

[@IAmTimCorey]

Thanks for sharing

[@veroseoehlerich9249]

I feel like they might l e t me go

[@IAmTimCorey]

Work on your resume and portfolio then. If you cannot prevent being let go, prepare for it.

[@angelamorris6598]

Hello Tim, what do you do when you are a high performer and you still get fired. What is wrong with doing a good job but still get fired what do they want from you, I thought you were there to do your job, and yes I do stay away from supervisors because I am trying not to get fired for saying something they do like. I am not good at being a suckup, I just work hard and mind my own business, and I have to be honest I have lost more than a dozen jobs.

[@johnpierce2095]

sometimes you just werent meant to be there, a stepping stone to something else., . even if your co workers say your doing good your boss might be like your not doing what he likes . You cant please everyone, or you find out, that your not as good in one skill set and thats part of the job, so find a job that your good at without that skill your not good at

[@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597]

If at all possible, find the NEW job before you quit the old job.

[@johnpierce2095]

@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 what are ur suggestions for getting a job in another place, cause to me they wanna hire the people that live there and not one who lives 4 hours or so away, cause where i live its all grocery stores and resteraunts, so im looking at other places to

[@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597]

@@johnpierce2095 Like with most job searches, you will have to really do your homework and networking. Leverage sites like LinkedIn to find people that work at likely employers in places you want a job. Connect with them. Ask them questions about the company (keep it friendly and professional). Find MeetUps in the area and participate in their virtual events and occasionally join in the live events when possible. The idea is that you may find a job through one of those connections. Simply throwing resumes/CVs at the job sites may not do the job.

[@miguelcruz2682]

Always Remember nothing lasts forever... When you start feeling your walking on eggshells especially going to work IT'S TIME TO GO!!🙌

[@thomasche]

Thank you

[@IAmTimCorey]

You are welcome.

[@brianpk7206]

Glad I can hear this stuff before I actually get in the industry. Thx😀

[@IAmTimCorey]

Glad to hear it and good luck!

[@StefanKo1224]

Will u upload new c# projects from beginning to finish?

[@IAmTimCorey]

That’s what the TimCo Retail Manager is and we are still working on it.

[@breakfastrecipes9312]

Hi Tim, I have been fired from a job due to slow output but every task I have been given I completed it 100%, but let suppose if the time for that task was four hours I completed it in eight hours but completed and that was deployed in production, but I have been fired due to this.13 years back when I started my software development career in dot net Webforms, I was very good and completed every task in time. So is this age factor I am 39 now. This feels very bad that I am getting older and can not complete tasks on time. Maybe due to a lack of aligned with the new things because I stopped working for three years and started again and most of the time I find myself studying how to do this. I also don't have confidence and feels like an impostor now.

[@IAmTimCorey]

I have lots of free training videos here to help you refresh and practice your developer skills while you look for that next job. Keep practicing and working the programs with me in the videos. Also, check out my other Dev Questions posts, I hope they will help you address some of those fears. You got this! Just believe it.

[@DrSatti]

I wonder why there is always "negativity"? Why one dislike even on this one? BTW nice helmet !!!

[@IAmTimCorey]

Everyone has opinions and perspectives. If you have only had 'perfect' bosses, then this may not make sense to you (yet).

[@PomegranateChocolate]

Hi Tim, this is a very good channel but I disagree with what you said. You are operating on a wrong assumption. Here is the thing. Your boss's action is not motivated by the interest of the company. Your boss's action is motivated by his or her own job security. With that said your good job performance can actually get you fired. Ego is a common human trait and your boss is not exempt to that. To be honest I have some ego problem too when I started out but I learned very quickly that it is not good for myself (if your colleage is better than you that means there is something you can learn from him or her) or for the company I worked with.

[@IAmTimCorey]

I never said your boss's actions were motivated by the interest of the company. I said to find out what your boss wants you to do and then do it. That might mean to make them look good. It might mean to stay out of their way and keep your head down. It might mean to go above and beyond. What that is will depend on your boss but doing what your boss expects of you will always be a good thing (as long as your boss doesn't want something illegal or against what their boss wants of them).

[@hannimedable]

Don't worry, you can always eat birds and fish around us.

[@rollthers3157]

I love this response!

[@IAmTimCorey]

I wish we all had that option.

[@srujanr1168]

Please stop sending promotional videos 🙏🏾. Done with your emails

[@IAmTimCorey]

There is an unsubscribe link in every email.

[@hunterh1033]

What a strange topic... Just come to work, work hard and give an honest 8 hours of your best and you won't have to worry about it. Do we need a straw poll so we can find some topics for videos lol?

[@GrampaCaligula]

(Until the day comes and you find yourself unemployed.)

[@hunterh1033]

@@GrampaCaligula at that point what good what a video do about overcoming the fear of maybe being fired, if I'm already fired..

[@IAmTimCorey]

First, that’s not true. People do their best and get fired often. There is also a large group of people that worry about this. Just because you don’t feel that way does not mean no one does.

[@7867meet]

Yup strange topic but even stranger situation we are in. You give your best that still does not guarantee whether you'll be not fired. Times are getting tougher and tougher for developers. Constantly changing technologies and too much competition has made life hell for software developers. And now the new generation of Software developers are willing to work like 18 hrs a day, making experienced developers even more insecure about their position.

[@simon-white]

Not necessarily that simple. Some people might try giving 8 hours of their best but only feel like they accomplished 2. We're not robots, life happens, and some people are born worriers. Meetings preventing you getting started...having to put out fires...simply having a bad day. I can feel guilty of such days and just put them behind me, but I know there are people out there far more expert in worrying than myself.