If by younger, you mean two years younger than now, them I have a story that is applicable in regards to my career.
Got fired from my first job in my field (IT, specifically tech support/help desk.) The firing was unexpected and done in a Tuesday afternoon with zero warning. I wasn’t given and kind of formal write-ups and had been getting great performance reviews. I was crushed. The reasoning that my boss told me was that “I wasn’t learning fast enough.” Which was absolute bullshit because I was left alone to run the department on a regular basis. I did all of my tasks and did them well and users loved me.
I suspect I was the fall guy for all the failing projects my boss was implementing. They cost far more money than he said they would. I believe I was fired so he wouldn’t get a pay cut.
I was absolutely heartbroken and considered going into another field entirely, after fighting my way through the rampant sexism in college and in job hunting. The first tech job I applied to after being fired (three days later), called me almost immediately after I applied. I did a phone interview and was then asked to do a practical interview the next day. I did well enough to get offered the job before I had finished the half hour drive home.
I make so much more money now, have great benefits, and I am respected and encouraged to grow. This job is absolutely incredible.
My grandmother says getting fired from my previous job was the best thing that happened to my career and I agree with her.
The emotional damage getting fired like I did has given me crippling anxiety that my therapist likens to that of PTSD, but without some of the PTSD symptoms. I’m getting treatment for it, and I’m at the stage where it’s getting worse before it gets better.
I had an hour long panic attack when I had to tell my boss that a doctor told me to take a week off to recover from an injury that wasn’t healing right and hindering my daily life. My boss wasn’t pleased and told me my attendance will need to be near perfect because I have already missed a lot (I have.) I’m not worried about getting fired anymore, so I haven’t panicked since, but I do get flare ups of anxiety. I get to go back and face everyone on Tuesday and hope that I won’t have to talk about it face to face because I will end up panicking then.