Great Expectations

Part of the reason why I wanted to leave my job in mental health (aside from my own mental health) was because my agency had absolutely no room for advancement. That's why I was so excited about my current position when I was hired; there's plenty of room for advancement. So long as you prove yourself, there are alot of different directions you can go in; education/training, state/federal liaison, management, implementation (which requires a TON of travel); and I'm sure others that aren't coming to mind. Mostly, I have my eyes on a position in training, team leading, or quality assurance. Last year, my competition for a promotion was someone who used to work for Social Security. But, she got fed up with the office, and quit. I thought I was next in line. But, I recently found that the powers that be were casting their light of favor on someone else. She's perfectly deserving, and while I'll be a little disappointed when she's promoted ahead of me, I'll be a little happy for her, too. She's really nice, very good at her job, and I don't think I'd have too much of an issue working under her. The reason I'm sure she's ahead of me is that we've recently drummed up some business at another hospital in the state, and we'll be getting started there early next month. She'll be going to Toledo to help get everything set up, and I'll be here in Cleveland. However, this little scenario is not without its perks for me. While our team leader is away getting things set up with my co-worker, I'll be doing her job; reviewing claims for correctness, answering questions from my co-workers about patients, and reviewing denied cases to determine whether or not we should advance to the next appeal level. A chance to prove myself that I have not yet been given. So I'm glad for that.
I suppose that I got my hopes up too soon in my professional life for a promotion. I'm only 24, I've only been out of college for (holy cow) 4 years now, I still have some growing-up to do in the corporate world. I would benefit from the additional experience in my current position. My "competition" is 28 or 29, that can make a difference. Another year or two, I think I'll be in good shape to move forward. I'm going to use my review in March to ask my boss what qualities he thinks I should improve upon to better my chances at moving ahead. I read that being respectful about asking this type of question of your boss shows that you take interest in your career and the company.