So, to be clear the old employer I worked for did not make me sign a Non-disclosure or non compete.

5-6 years ago I started working for a ma and Pa welding supplies shop with only background in automotive/concrete pumps.I was to fix the welding equipment.

The company needed to have a certified tech to maintain their "premium" distributor status which means the get great discounts. I was sent to the first of two certification classes within 2 weeks of starting, I passed the first test after cramming, got back &amp; spent the next 3 months being trained by the guy who was currently in retirement. I go to the second class, pass &amp; get fully certified &amp; begin my career.

The owner retired the year I was hired, in hopes of leaving his company for his son whom was currently the store manager.That left his son, the top employee &amp; the accountant all tied for heirarchy &amp; they all wanted things differently. I steer clear of any political BS because it didn't matter to me. I was there to learn a dying trade &amp; learn it well.

Here is where the biggest pile of shit hit the fan. That poor poor fan..

The owners son, who was 6 months away from inheriting the company was found to have been stealing from the company for YEARS, like tens of thousands of dollars... He was subsequently fired and his dad became even more checked out &amp; left the accountant to be the general manager. Well fast forward a few years, I made a dying repair shop into a bustling repair business,with 40-60 machines in at all times in que, sent out Excel spreadsheet reports on the current status, expanded the repair shop from being a warranty center for 1 brand to all 3 major brands.

I had out grown that shop, and that they wanted to keep me at a certain level of capability that met their needs without taking into consideration that I have 40 years left in the industry.

Quickly management got worse and worse so I left this last October for a bigger company that called me at my place of work in the hopes of hiring me. The straw that broke the camel's back was the GM shutting down certain options we gave customers for repair against my will, after that I went to places I knew I could walk on to and said I was on the market. That was when this bigger company hit me up out of the blue by pure coincidence.

To wrap this up that bigger company is taking great care of me, letting me train on the high end equipment I dreamed of working on and like I said, this tradeskill is a dying trade. I'm now using my abilities and natural prowess with this type of work to give previous customers an alternative outlet for repair on welding equipment, both normal and specialty (CNC, automated sub arc, high end plasmas etc) but with the understanding that if they choose to utilize my skills I want them to bring over gas and hardgoods business, essentially taking customers from my old employer but making it 100% up to the customer.... And it's working...

AITA/did that smaller company Fuck up their best last hope??