Career Climbers Stuck in Government/Corporate
11 posts across 3 communities in the last 90 days; 64% from r/careerguidance.
“I 25(M) have been working as a financial analyst I for my state's Department of Insurance for last 3 years as of this December. I was offered to apply to the senior position however, I was denied the position. In hindsight the other seniors told me that that hate their job and…”
“I’ve spent years in private and public sector finance, sitting right in the middle-management meatgrinder acting as a translator between senior executive anxiety and junior execution. One of the most common, painful patterns I see every year is smart, incredibly hard-working…”
“I’ve been at my job for about a year and was put on a pedestal rather quickly. I’ve never been in a leadership role before. When I interviewed for the role, I applied for a position in a department I had more experience with. After the interview process, they told me they wanted…”
Individuals express frustration and anxiety regarding lack of promotion opportunities within government agencies and large corporations. This often involves feeling overlooked despite qualifications and experience, leading to stagnation and a search for alternative career paths.
SOURCES (12)
“I’ve been at my job for about a year and was put on a pedestal rather quickly. I’ve never been in a leadership role before. When I interviewed for the role, I applied for a position in a department I had more experience with. After…”
“I’ve been with my company for 5 years and my boss is leaving. They are now backfilling for him, the role is Marketing Director, and they have posted a job online for it. A few coworkers even expressed shock they weren’t automatically promoting me to the role. I already spoke with my current boss about it, and he agreed I would be an excellent candidate (given some weaker areas). He also asked for my permission to share his feedback with the new hiring manager (The Senior Director of Marketing),”
“Hi there! This is a long one so apologies for venting if that’s how it comes across. Recently I was denied a promotion for the second year in a row. This one stung extra because in most estimations I was the most qualified person, or at least second depending at how you look at it objectively. There were 5 people promoted to management. 6 were seriously considered meaning I was the odd man out. 4 of the people that were promoted were people that I had personally onboarded and trained when they s”
“I 25(M) have been working as a financial analyst I for my state's Department of Insurance for last 3 years as of this December. I was offered to apply to the senior position however, I was denied the position. In hindsight the other seniors told me that that hate their job and wish they can go back to being a first level so not getting the position doesn't sting as hard. I was offered a lateral move position to where I would be checking out specialized companies but my current pay would”
“I’ve been talking to my manager about promotion for years (not kidding). He never gives me actionable or specific feedback, which makes me feel helpless and like I don’t have agency over my career. I think he’s already decided he doesn’t want to promote me and you can imagine how that impacts my motivation and morale. He doesn’t assign me ”hot” projects, but rather technically complex grunt work that doesn’t have visibility but needs to get done. He gaslights me every chance he gets (unprompted:”
“I've noticed something in a lot of career advice: it's almost always framed as "how to climb faster" or "how to get promoted," and almost never "is climbing even the right goal for you right now." I've been mulling over why a lateral move, a pay cut, or starting over at entry-level in a new field feels so much scarier than it probably should — even when the person making the move has genuinely thought it through and has a real plan. My working theory: mo”
“I’ve spent years in private and public sector finance, sitting right in the middle-management meatgrinder acting as a translator between senior executive anxiety and junior execution. One of the most common, painful patterns I see every year is smart, incredibly hard-working professionals getting stuck in career stagnation because they treat the office like school. They assume quiet compliance automatically leads to an "A" (a promotion). But sadly it doesn’t. I want to hear your storie”
“I am at a point in my career, where I have been promoted a couple of times into a supervisor role. There is now only one more position above me in my department.I have been at this organization for the last 3 years. I was promoted 4 months ago but haven't been able to actually start training due to turnover. I have been covering 3 positions ,and now it will be 4 since someone else just quit. I would be expected to cover these positions and train the new people.There is not a way for me to as”
“I’ve been working a government job for the past 5 years. On the surface it looks stable, but each time we get federal budget cuts i am told my position is up in the air and may be cut. This makes it feel unstable because I don’t know if the next budget cut will be the end of my position. I have been winning art grants for side projects I do on the weekends. I want to apply for an artist stipend. If I were to win , it would pay better than my current job but only last one year. Then I would need”
“I’m a 28-year-old working in automotive manufacturing in a small town. I’ve been with the same company for four years. I started in the lowest position on the production floor and worked my way up pretty quickly. By the end of my second year, I had become Assistant Manager for the maintenance department, which is actually one of the highest-paid departments in the plant. Before moving into maintenance, I spent a year in engineering department. I have an engineering degree in automotive manufactu”