A different kind of gamble part 2

So $40,000 in the hole, no prospects and little hope, I found myself a bankruptcy attorney. I was brutally depressed and I think without the relationship I was in then, which turned into a marriage not to long after, I probably would have crawled into a bottle somewhere and and stayed. But that was indeed a turning point for me. I spent a nice chunk of time reflecting on my life, reading a lot (huge amount of Tony Robbins) and began looking for a new route to make a living. It didn't take to long and I was working in a small shop building machines that cut keys... nothing glamorous, but it was a nice change. I worked on two long tables facing a guy who worked on another two long tables, listening to music and putting together the intricate parts of the machine. The guy was a real ass, so we got along famously. I enjoyed the work immensely, and found that I was figuring out different layouts and tweaks to speed up production. Not to toot my own horn, but I got good, I was doubling the previous assemblers rate, and making 40 machines a month. I know it doesn't sound like much, but 40 machines at $5,000 apiece.... lets just say they were having trouble keeping enough sales to match my production. I approached the bosses about a raise ($13 an hour not really being enough to support my new fiance and her 2 kids) but was told no... I was later informed that they thought I was stuck there :) So I was off. I found another job, working in a foundry, pouring aluminum and brass. What an absolutely beautiful job. It's hot and nasty, but while you're pouring, it's magnificent.... like a small volcano, drooling lava into a hole in the sand... I loved it. Long story, slightly less long, the foreman went upstairs to talk to the bosses about giving me my 3rd raise and came down to talk to me. I remember he actually got choked up. He told me that he had told the owner I should get another raise, and he was told that it wouldn't happen, and that he would have to let me go. I didn't realize but this was the big economic downturn, i was the first of almost 2/3 of the staff to get laid off. They did give me a glowing reference, and with that, I was working again in days. This time a glass production plant. I was working on the receiving end of a heat treating oven, and it was HOT. The shifts were long, and the work was fast paced, but the money was good. I was finally making enough money to keep us ahead of the game, and my first cheque (excuse my Canadian spelling) was over $3,000. A few months rolled by and while the money was great, and we were actually ahead of the game, and the heat and pace helped me loose 35 lbs in just 2 months, the hours were brutal. But once again, things would change. I won't bore you with the details, but one night a foreman and I disagreed on what was legal and what wasn't in treatment of employees. She felt that screaming and belittling people was an appropriate management tool, and told me that if I didn't like it I could leave. The loss of pay and the fear of being jobless again was totally worth the look on her face when I handed her my radio and coveralls, wished my fellow employees good luck, and walked out the door. I got home early that night to an incredibly supportive, but understandably concerned wife. I took stock again, and went back to look for yet another job. That brings us to the current company I am working for. On that note I'll leave things until tomorrow :)