While this is true at the lower ranks, the upper management and technical consultants in a company are usually very specialized and at some point in a career a decision must be made about which track to pursue. In both tracks, performance is the key to advancement, and as a new company member, the employee needs to be aggressive from the beginning to determine expectations of supervisors. Many companies have a written review process, which may occur more often during the initial years of employment. Some have incentive programs directly tied to goals which are determined and agreed to by employee and management. Be certain to discuss these policies during the interview and again with management immediately after joining a company.
Many large companies use a point system, assigning points to technical experience and education.
Discuss the point system with the human resources department of the company to be certain all eligible points are received. These points usually determine starting salary and are often awarded for specific technical experience, military duty, or specific teaching duties. Sometimes experience listed on an application is not complete or is misinterpreted by the department tallying the points, so ask. With these companies, specific point levels must be met as a minimum requirement for promotion, so obtain as much knowledge about how the specific system works before accepting employment. Companies with opportunities for technical employment will generally have medical benefits similar to those found in teaching.