Updated OP: I just lost my job for going above and beyond.

[Acanthus]

I work (worked?) in a surveillance department. My bosses all knew that I was very competent with hardware, software, and networking so they would routinely ask me for help with things.

An IT position opened up in the department, and I was elated. I could get a $4 an hour raise for doing what i like to do.

Other associates, who were far less qualified, also put in for the position and we all had to wait for interviews.

Two days before my interview, during one of my breaks, i opened a command prompt and ran some diagnostic commands to help me understand how the network was set up. I wanted to have an edge at the interview because I could specifically talk about how our network is laid out and discuss the hardware installed on the machines.

I only used diagnostic commands.

ipconfig /all
tracert
nbtstat
netstat
arp -a

Long story short, my supervisor (whom had also put in for the position, and was far less qualified, he didnt even know how to install a wireless router in his home) turned me for "hacking the network".

HR gets involved, they don't know a damn thing about networking. They take statements from both of us. I ask them to go to IT to verify that I did nothing wrong. They don't.

Boss fires me for "tampering with surveillance equipment" while he is on vacation.

I now have no job and don't know how i am going to pay rent next month. Awesome. I have never been fired from a job in my life. I have never even been in trouble with an employer before.

On a side note, one of the other employees INSTALLED AN UNSECURED WIRELESS ROUTER ON THE CORPORATE NETWORK IN SURVEILLANCE , GOT CAUGHT, and nothing happened to him.

Is this wrongful termination? I don't know how the law works.

Updates with some FAQs:

I will not be allowed to take unemployment because i was fired for misconduct.

Getting another job in this field may not be easy because of the bad reference.

Upon conversation with another employee tonight, I learned that the boss that fired me leaked that he was going to fire me before my statement was even taken by HR.

I may have been fired for being an Atheist in the bible belt. I have proof that someone did much worse things with the network (i didn't do anything wrong) and he was promoted. He is the same religion as the boss that fired me.

 

[sdifox]

It's called you got shafted. You could sue for wrongful dismissal, but it would be your word against his.

 

[waggy]

It's called you got shafted. You could sue for wrongful dismissal, but it would be your word against his.

i think so too. but you are a idiot for doing somthing like that. no matter how minor it was.

 

[edro]

How did he know you executed these commands?
Was it done on a computer you normally access for your current job?

 

[mmntech]

Talk to a lawyer, not ATOT. They'll give you better advice.

 

[calvinbiss]

What are your prospects for finding another job? If the are pretty decent, I would say screw your previous job. Sounds like you work with a bunch of dicks.

If the prospects are not good, I would say fight for you previous job. Seems like you have some footing.

 

[Juddog]

Sounds like a crappy place to work.

 

[Farang]

They are probably going to try to avoid paying unemployment benefits by saying you were terminated for misconduct.

 

[Tim]

Wow.

 

[sixone]

How did your boss know that you "hacked the network"?

Trying to score yourself an advantage in an interview is not "going above and beyond". You didn't do it to benefit the company, you did it to benefit YOURSELF. You could have talked to someone in IT, or asked permission before you did it. You chose not to.

 

[edro]

I can tell you right now that they are allowed to fire you.
If you did ANYTHING on a computer that was outside of your normal duties, it is grounds for termination.
In most states, they don't even need a reason to fire you.

Apply for the position now, even though you don't work for them anymore.
Put a note on the application explaining the situation.
The hiring manager might sympathize with you and like what you were doing.

 

[Arkitech]

i think so too. but you are a idiot for doing somthing like that. no matter how minor it was.

How was he being an idiot? Those are very basic commands, they don't weaken or compromise the security of the network in anyway.

 

[Uppsala9496]

File an unemployment claim. The unemployment department will call for an interview if your company denies. Do the interview and odds are you will get granted unemployment.
And you may have a case for wrongful termination if someone else did something similar and no action was taken against them. They discriminated against you because of religion? Race? Gender? National Origin? Color?

You can use the following which is covered under the federal law:
employment decisions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities

 

[TechBoyJK]

I would just tell them you know what you did and it wasn't tampering. And they need to provide evidence that an actual IT expert would agree is tampering or your going to file a wrongful termination suit.

 

[Acanthus]

How did he know you executed these commands?
Was it done on a computer you normally access for your current job?

The supervisor observed me typing commands into a command prompt.

When asked by HR i divulged the information.

They did not verify anything i said with IT, no logs were checked.

 

[Arkitech]

I can tell you right now that they are allowed to fire you.
If you did ANYTHING on a computer that was outside of your normal duties, it is grounds for termination.
In most states, they don't even need a reason to fire you.

Apply for the position now, even though you don't work for them anymore.
Put a note on the application explaining the situation.
The hiring manager might sympathize with you and like what you were doing.

So any person who checks the weather or traffic on a company computer can potentially be fired?

 

[Acanthus]

How was he being an idiot? Those are very basic commands, they don't weaken or compromise the security of the network in anyway.

This. I made no attempt to leave my VLAN, log into any routers, or learn anything about the other networks in the building. No settings were changed.

They even have intrusion detection systems on our network which were not triggered by the activity, because it is so benign.

 

[pauldun170]

Umm...doesn't sound like a place worth working for.

 

[jagec]

The supervisor observed me typing commands into a command prompt.

That's not hacking, hacking looks like this:

 

[Acanthus]

I would just tell them you know what you did and it wasn't tampering. And they need to provide evidence that an actual IT expert would agree is tampering or your going to file a wrongful termination suit.

Their argument was "you were in an unauthorized area on the computer, therefore it doesn't matter what commands you entered"

 

[waggy]

How was he being an idiot? Those are very basic commands, they don't weaken or compromise the security of the network in anyway.

UNLESS you are IT you never mess with the command propt. there is no reason to do it.

HR and such are idiots and have no clue that /ipconfig is. all they see is a lot of numbers scroll by.

they take this as you are either installing software, hacking, or worse.

never a good idea.

also as six mentioned this was not "above and beyond" for his job and in no way would have helped him in a interview

 

[TwiceOver]

Wow. That sucks.

 

[Arkitech]

The supervisor observed me typing commands into a command prompt.

When asked by HR i divulged the information.

They did not verify anything i said with IT, no logs were checked.

I'd document everything that happened. Date, time, place it happened, people involved, etc.. I would then start calling around for referrals for a lawyer. There should be a bar association for your city or state, call them and get as much info as you can.

http://www.chicagobar.org/

I'm assuming your area has one similar to what we have here in Chicago.

 

[Acanthus]

UNLESS you are IT you never mess with the command propt. there is no reason to do it.

HR and such are idiots and have no clue that /ipconfig is. all they see is a lot of numbers scroll by.

they take this as you are either installing software, hacking, or worse.

never a good idea.

also as six mentioned this was not "above and beyond" for his job and in no way would have helped him in a interview

Saying that i understand how the network is set up, and have worked with all of the associated hardware and camera equipment in the past would not help my case?

 

[Platypus]

I certainly wouldn't post on a public forum if I were considering involving legal counsel about it.