Baku, January 26, AZERTAC
Not all celebrities are born with a silver spoon in their mouth: some had to work 9 to 5 every day. For some laid-off celebrities, losing their job helped them see their true potential. However, layoffs do not always lead to a better future. Sometimes getting fired from a job can bring some hardship, which can be hard to ignore.
We tend to overlook the trajectory of famous people who struggled in life and focus more on their achievements. If history has anything to tell us, the historical figures who changed the world learned from their mistakes and decided to pursue greater ambitions. A great leader is born when he learns from his mistakes and takes advantage of them. Julius Caesar, one of the most famous characters in history, was practically fired from the position he had inherited. Yet he rose up and is known today as one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever seen.
It’s not uncommon to get fired; what is important is how we react to it. We have compiled a list of some of the most successful people who were fired for various reasons.
1. Steve Jobs
If you want to talk about revolutions in the technological field, you can’t do without mentioning Steve Jobs, the man behind the many Apple products we know and praise today. He created Apple in 1976, but in 1985 he was fired due to growing rivalry in the marketplace. In 1997 he was rehired as Apple’s CEO and created the iPhone, iPad and other “i” products.
2.Liam Neeson
Before playing Oscar Schindler and becoming a modern 21st century action movie hero, he worked as a teacher. He was fired from this job after beating a 15-year-old student who pulled out a knife. After holding other odd jobs, Neeson began his path to stardom.
3. Lady Gaga
Who knew that Lady Gaga would become one of the biggest pop culture icons in the world? Certainly not Def Jam Records. After sending an unfinished demo to the record company, they decided to do without it. She rose to prominence in the industry in 2008 with the release of her hit “Just Dance.”
4. Nikola Tesla
The industrial world we live in today would not be what it is without Nikola Tesla, the father of modern electricity. His path to the figure we know today was bumpy, full of layoffs and problems. In Slovenia, Nikola Tesla lost his position as a draftsman due to compulsive gambling and a mental disorder.
5.Elvis Presley
It seems that the king of rock’n’roll used his voice to sing some of the best songs and fight with his former colleagues. Within five weeks of working at Loew’s State Theater, a heated argument with a colleague got him fired. Rumor has it that his colleague started it because he was jealous that a girl liked Elvis instead of him.
6. Madonna
The queen of pop herself was also a casual worker. She may be the material girl in the video clip that we all love and like, but to a client, she is remembered for an awkward situation that she created herself. While working at a donut shop, she accidentally sprayed Jell-O in a customer’s face and was fired from her.
7.Mark Cuban
Who would have thought that Mark Cuban, a simple salesman, would become the future owner of the Dallas Mavericks and one of the richest people in the world? While working as a salesperson for Your Business Software, selling PC software, he talked to a customer about opening a new store, for which he was fired. He later founded his own company with the help of his previous clients.
8. J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter wasn’t always on JK Rowling’s mind. Before the boy with the lightning scar came true, the author worked as a secretary. As she is a writer, she wrote a lot of fictional material during her work, which caused her to be fired from her job and had to live on welfare. Everything changed when she sold Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
9.Robert Redford
Robert Redford may be the big screen actor we know today, but he used to work at an oil refinery in sunny California. They found him asleep in an oil tank and later they took him to wash bottles. After breaking more than a couple of them, Redford was fired and left to do what he loved the most: acting.
10.Michael Bloomberg
Politician, businessman and one of the richest people in the world, Michael Bloomberg seems to have lived through it all and has experience of being fired. While working for an investment bank, Salomon Brothers, a merger forced her to leave his position. With a $10 million severance pay, Bloomberg went on to create his fortune.
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