Climbing the Ladder, Getting a Promotion

Would you give yourself a promotion?

Imagine that you are walking through your workplace and you are the boss. There's your pal, George. There's the annoying guy from the sales department. There is the charming and motherly woman who sits at a desk near yours. And there -- ah, this must be a dream, because you're there. You're sitting and staring at the pile of papers on your desk and doing your best to understand the day's task. There are parts of the job you do quite well, but there are also parts you just don't grasp.

Now imagine that you (as the boss in this dream) are carrying two bundles of envelopes. In one set of envelopes there are notes saying "Congratulations, I've just given you a promotion and a bigger paycheck." The notes in the other envelopes say, "I'm sorry, you're just not ready for a promotion. I'll consider it again next year."

"The nominees are..."

OK, be honest, which envelope would you lay on your own desk? If you were the boss, would you give yourself a promotion? Remember, the decision must be based on a lot more than friendship or even good work. A boss can't give someone a raise in pay or a better position unless the person truly has the qualifications needed for the promotion. If your answer is "yes," congratulations. You are on the path to career success. However, if, after careful and honest consideration, you decide you wouldn't give yourself a promotion, you may have a problem. It's more than likely that you know you don't have the education necessary to make a move upward. You may not have gone to college, or never finished your degree program. At the time, school didn't seem that important. Now you find yourself stuck with a yearly income that just doesn't seem to rise. Everyone around you seems to have a rising salary while yours is just flat.

"And the winner is..."

Statistics show that the best jobs, raises, and promotions are more likely to be given to people with higher education. If you don't have a degree, now may be the time to get one. If you graduated with an undergraduate degree, this may be the time to start thinking about getting a Master's degree. It doesn't take a college degree to figure out that a college degree is an important key to career success.

If your work and family obligations keep you from attending regular, on-campus classes, you are a perfect candidate for an online degree. If the time and expense involved in going back to school are blocking your decision, think about the degree payback -- you can look forward to a bigger paycheck, a better position, and a much better chance when that big promotion comes around.