career ladder

noun

variants or corporate ladder
: the series of progressively higher positions that can be attained in one's working career conceived of as a ladder to be climbed toward greater responsibility and financial success
… a twentysomething heroine working her way up the career ladderClarissa Cruz
The more skills you acquire and use, the more you can earn – even if you don't jump to the next rung on the corporate ladder.Jaclyn Fierman
Like most successful women in the pop-music industry, Rhone, 42, started off answering phones and watching men climb the corporate ladder to success.Lorraine Ali
… the kind of resentment that a man who has spent his life climbing the ranks of a large bureaucracy feels toward a man who leapfrogs up the career ladder through a special and obnoxious blend of deferments and degrees.Michael Lewis
Today as vice-president and director of global diversity, she works with the office of the CEO to ensure that women and people of color with the potential to move up the corporate ladder are identified and groomed.Rhonda Richards

Examples of career ladder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Carroll County implemented a new career ladder ahead of this school year, which features a $60,000 salary minimum for teachers. Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 2 Aug. 2024 Illegally scaling the world’s tallest buildings together Climbing the career ladder Carter’s passion for photography began at the age of 15, preceding his love of climbing. Dhruv Tikekar, CNN, 24 July 2024 The current rate, 4.1%, remains among the lowest in 50 years, which means Zoomer college graduates have strong prospects for getting jobs right out of school and moving up the career ladder. Nerdwallet, The Mercury News, 18 July 2024 Sponsors can be crucial, but given the prevalence of white men in senior leadership positions across the national security agencies, women and minorities will likely need at least one white male sponsor dedicated to their professional success to progress up the career ladder. Reuben E. Brigety Ii, Foreign Affairs, 8 Dec. 2016 See all Example Sentences for career ladder 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'career ladder.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of career ladder was in 1835

Dictionary Entries Near career ladder

Cite this Entry

“Career ladder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/career%20ladder. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.

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