I sure have some experience with that. I had a great job with lots of mobility, lots of options, pretty good pay, and union protection. Then I took a stupidvisory job for a little more pay and pretty soon after that they cut staff and cancelled all the pay increases for "management" employees which included 1st level supes. When I started out in that job I was supervising 3 people in 3 counties and making probably 10% more than they were. Over the next 6 years I got no raises, worked tons of unpaid overtime, and by the end of 6 years I was supervising 6 people doing the work of 9 covering 9 counties and they were all making more money than I was. So I took a lateral into a technical non-supervisory position and that was great - No butts to wipe but my own, manageable work, defined responsibilities, and it was fun. Additionally they gave management our raises for a few years right about then. But after a couple years my supervisor quit and like an idiot I bid the job and it made me crazy. Although I was only supervising 3 really good people I was back in the management totem pole with all the stuffed shirt blowhard social climbers. And they called off the management raises for 8 years this time. So after a couple years of that I bid a division chief job and got it. Though it was no better, it was no worse, and it paid better. But they continued cutting staff and benefits the whole time and the unpaid OT was really eating up my life. By the time I got home all my creativity was gone. I quit playing music fer cripesakes. That's a high cost. In the end I got to retire 2 years early but my friends who stayed in the ol' great first job right on through, retired with the same or better money than I did. So, how bad do you want to move "up", is the question. And maybe where you work is better than where I worked.