Brigade?

[Munro Burton]

Or you burn your way up to the middle echelons in barely a year.

Not many people can manage that and most of them end up burning themselves out in the process anyway. So, yeah, slow and steady is probably the best way to go.

[CM Jamie]

Yeah, or join the army and burn your way up the ranks

[COL Longstreet]

Some people manage this fast rise indeed.

But most of them someday lost motivation or the needed time for their positions.
I needed years to become Lieutenant, and am quiet lucky with this process as with the time there came motivation, a feeling of responsibillity and the knowledge of a whole bunch of cool people from different perspectives.

[Calder]

There is a great deal to be said for the "slow and steady" method. Yes, some people are able to rocket up through the ranks and reach high, sometimes incredibly high, rank by nature of being in the right place at the right time under the right circumstances. Not to say these people are not competent or capable in their own right, but outside influence can often propel one career while destroying another.

I have far more respect for people who put in their time and work their way up, seldom to the top, but often to key positions of power through hard work, determination, dedication, and quiet competence. These people are rarely celebrated, not often to they have long and impressive ID lines, nor do they find themselves at the highest echelons of command - sometimes if for no other reason than others become jealous of them, or envy their ability or popularity, or because they seem out of place in a system that seeks and celebrates showmanship and flair. Sadly, skill and ability are often no match for a quick wit or a sarcastic comment.

But these individuals are the ones who made the GE great in the first place, and if I were you, Ensign Roche, that's what I would aspire to be. Indeed, that's what I was, and I think one could do a lot worse than that.

[Mike Mar]

This sounds like LaForge's story!

[Fel]

It took me about one and a half years to get from Ensign to Lieutenant. A good amount of this has to do with what opportunities are available when you join. For example, Reem joined at a time of huge expansion of the Empire at War units.

That said, getting promoted up above the level of Lieutenant has gotten harder lately, so you will need to either make sure we have enough recruits that more opportunities open, or you will need to work hard at your current job... It's not a likely thing anymore to just be a Lieutenant who is trying to get promoted and get the Squadron Leader / Support Ship Command section over with...

[AD Polanski]

You can skip ranks, if you receive higher positions. Take LT Lenanor for example, he went from EN to LT in one hop.

To apply for a higher position, you'll need to wait until one is opened up. Check the unit rosters for any such empty spots, then contact the next person up in the chain of command about it.

Ensign First Class, 2LT, Wing Commander, etc are "intermediate" ranks that are a grade higher than the rank below them, but still fill the position for the rank below them. It is perfectly fine to go from EN to SL, and before this "update" to the ranks, this is how it was done (back in the Daemon GE). Lenanor went from EN -> LT because I knew he would be a good leader and at that point I needed a good leader. Keep in mind that sort of jump is NOT common and only happens once in a blue moon. There is precedence for it, though.

Technically the official route is still EN-SL etc. The "intermediate" ranks were added to award officers who had been in the same position for an exceptionally long time, yet there we no open promotions available at that time.

[LC La Forge]

And there it is, straight from the horse's mouth.

[LC La Forge]

You can never be too long as an Ensign. Never get into that mode of thought.

[Calder]

Often times an officer will remain at a given rank for an extended period of time regardless of their ability or how deserving they may be of a promotion. It is a simple matter of how many positions there are, and the fact that there's only so much room for advancement. Over the years, we've had several officers (I would like to think of myself as one of them) who should have been admirals. Yet how many positions are there? It would be wonderful if everyone deserving could get promoted to the appropriate rank, but then we'd end up with a fleet full of admirals and ensigns - with little in between.