climbing the ladder
Advancing through ranks
Climbing the ladder means advancing through a hierarchy, typically in a career or organization.
The image is of ascending rungs toward higher positions of status, pay, or power: She spent fifteen years climbing the ladder at that firm.
The full phrase climbing the corporate ladder specifies professional advancement, often with implications of ambition or careerism.
- ascendingMoving upward
- promotionRank increase or publicity
- advancementForward movement or promotion
- rungsLadder's horizontal bars
- ambitionDesire for achievement
corporate · success · career · fast track · heights · rising · upward · status · striving · hustle · executive · corner office · rat race · networking · stepping stones · power · moving up · breakthrough
- Career Journeyresume, promotion, layoff, burnout, retirement
- success storiesrags to riches, success story, underdog story, comeback story, zero to hero
- progressprogress, in progress, promotion, raise, making progress
- successsuccess, succeeds, achievement, wins, triumph
- advantagesedge, leverage, upper hand, leg up, head start
- selfishnessselfishness, greed, egoism, narcissism, self-centeredness
climbing the ladderfalling from grace
Loss of favor or status
downward spiral · demotion · losing ground · plateauing · sinking
climbing the ladderstaying put
Remaining in place
coasting · resting on one's laurels · giving up · dropping out · opting out
climbing the ladderdropping out
Leaving before completion
opting out · walking away · bucking the system · downward mobility
climb, climbed, climber, climbers, climbing, climbs, climbable, ladder, ladders