One thing I did was go back to grad school and make myself SOI qualified. Ive been a project manager for the past several years with various firms. If you have good references, have worked on diverse projects, and/or shown that you have initiative and a positive attitude, then you should be successful. Project managers look at crew performance in all areas and can help you along. It wont come overnight(Ive been in CRM since 1979), but it will come. Dont be afraid to talk with your PM or company president. All he or she can say will be yes or no, but they will know that you want to step up and have more responsibility.
Good luck!

Mick

cool, thanks a lot Mick.

Like Mick said I think the main thing is to ask the people above you. Initially this may not lead to a promotion within that same company (since upward mobility in CRM firms is not the norm), but it may give you the kind of experience you need to get that better position at your next company. Another option is to be clear in your resume objectives and/or your cover letter what kind of position you want and how you fit that role. People you work for don't always know everything about you (maybe just what you have on your resume) and the jobs you do for them may not always let you shine in other ways. Build a rapport with the people who control your destiny, let them know who you are, what you can offer, and what you golas are. Finally, keep your goals in sight. You can't expect people to just give you things, so you have to go out and get them yourself. If a company you work for isn't giving you the opportunities you deserve, then you should move on to somewhere that will.

I'm not trying to be preachy or judgmental but based on my experience, my best advice is to sit down and think about:

- What are your expectations for your career/education in general;
- Of these, what can you expect to reasonably accomplish at your current company?

The key is to be honest with yourself. Do you really want to go back to grad school, do you like your current workplace and is there a chance for advancement? If you do want to stay at your current employer and do you think it jives with your long term career/school aspirations then...

Make a list of your top goals that are tangible and can be explained in a couple of sentences and go talk to your boss. Tell him/her that you feel underutilized and would like more responsibility, specifically... (and explain your list). Don't necessarily wait until your annual review but if you do, make sure to actually talk yourself up. And be sure to explain it all in the context of how it would improve the efficiency or competitiveness of your division or company.

In the past, I've handled these very awkward discussions like going into an interview. I tell my boss in advanced that I would like to talk with him and set a time for meeting and then when we have our semi-formal talk. I've presented a cover letter restating my background, going into my goals, and then resubmit a resume and then talk about my goals and interests.

Speaking as a supervisor, it's often hard to remember what everyone's backgrounds and interests are, let alone goals. When bumping somebody up to crew chief, it often goes to the person who expressed an interest in it and not necessarily the most qualified. The same goes for other specialties; unless somebody expresses an interest in the transit/data collector, lithic analysis, or tells us they have a strong background in architectural history, it's hard to keep track of people. It's not a good situation and when hiring somebody from the outside to do what an existing employee can do, it leads to a lot of alienation.

great information KB; that was actually really insightful. I do want to go back to grad school and eventually (way down the road) teach .

I feel that getting as much experience before going back is important and helps with everything in the long run. Especially if I want to get contracts myself if I ever get my masters. Ill definitely try and follow your advice.