[cakedoggie]

> And what do you know, I got promoted into a more suitable position.

This is a bit of a ridiculous statement. You seem to be claiming that everybody who shows off their skills rises to their correct level. I don't see it that way. I see that there are way more people capable of doing a senior position, but only a few positions are available.

[brad0]

As far as I understand the larger companies have a clear trajectory for promotion in software engineering. There's no limited places. Prove you have skills a, b and c and you get promoted.