As in why you should not just read people who agree with you.
Because amid all the bombast you stumble on some pretty good things
Downsizing/available jobs. What if a person gets downsized and the only available jobs are below his or her level of competence? They may have to take the job, and this leads to my next point. Perception. The guy that takes the lower job is seen as damaged goods or at least the perception may be that that is what he or she is capable of at best. This can lead to dulling of skills, depression, and hopelessness. Climbing back up the ladder after this is paying for the same real estate twice and then we enter the next variable: Age. Having to re-navigate the same career path takes time and then if you are over 40, age discrimination creeps in. From an objective standpoint, employers look at someone over 40 differently. One, by that age, they expect a high level of accomplishment, and a progressive increase in responsibilities and achievements. For the person that gets rightsized, or has to start over for whatever reason, there is a reverse karma at work: Well, they got shit on, so they must have done something to deserve it.
My point here is that The Peter Principle is a little thin explaining all or even most possibilities. People generally are capable of much more than they bring to their jobs, and honestly, most of their knowledge and experience is untapped by any employer and this leads to one more point which is an extension of the last paragraph. If you are doing a particular job at an organization, the perception is, that is all you are capable of doing. It’s a mindset that management at many organizations have, and even if you leave a company to go to another, the perception may follow you. The key is not to get stuck shoveling the same shit against the wall too long. I will also say the larger the organization, the more opportunities that exist. My wife works for a huge bank HQ’d out of california and they have so much diversity in types of positions that are open, that advancement and opportunity is not only good, but if you take advantage of it, very possible. Working for smaller organizations, non-profits and governmental agencies are much more limiting and possibly frustrating.
I think I know how that feels.