Career climbing requires a thing called Networking. No its not the same as joining two or more computers together. Basically it means you start off on the lowest rung of the ladder and through social events and business meetings and playing office politics and even multi-office politics one spreads their name through the system. Often people will get into another related line of work one that meshes with or connects with the line of work they want to be in. From there they "meet the right people." build alliances, find individuals that can boost them up the ladder. Yes it can take years, yes it can be distasteful yes not everyone is cut out for that. Most companies use higher paying positions as rungs of the inter-office ladder. Although they may cast the net outside of the office, they hire from the inside. The casting of the net appeals to laws and other governing circumstances, also it has the added advantage of getting more people to apply for jobs - more applications and resumes to where the company can open up a lower position and offer a "starting" position to people who would not apply for that position if it was offered instead of the better job. Moving from one job to another can and usually does mean you have to take a cut in pay, and a cut in position - seniority is something you earn through the years of loyal work - not so much "qualifications". Thus the older you get the less distasteful switching careers can be - because usually you have to start out at the bottom and work all the way up again. Other aspects of the politics is to hire on a "temporary" person with lower qualifications for Position X for political reasons (office or otherwise) with the intent to let them go later on. Unfortunately race and other issues do play a huge roll in the system. This is personal bias and many are shut out from higher end jobs - granted no one says "because he is black" "Because she's a woman" but it happens nonetheless. There are no "in roads" except to work harder, to build a larger net of influence, to go beyond the call of duty. Yes this is unfair. And in some cases it still doesn't make a difference.