I have a job interview at 4PM EST. [View all]

[Tobin S.]

A few years ago, I thought I would never have an interview for something other than a trucking job for the rest of my working years. But here I am trying to break through to something different. I've got my fancy shirt and tie pressed and ready to go. All I have to do is suit up and jump.

You all have probably heard of the glass ceiling in reference to women getting to a certain point in their careers and then being discriminated against for top leadership roles. Well, I'm going to add another phrase to corporate lingo: The Glass Wall. It's not as pervasive as the glass ceiling and it's probably easier to break through the glass wall, but it is still there making it difficult for people to move into something different.

The glass wall comes into play when workers would like to make what may be in a lot of cases a lateral career move. That is, the pay and benefits may not be very much greater, or may even be the same or less, but the worker can't make the transition from one role to the other due to being pigeon-holed in his or her current role. Employers may not see any value in you beyond a certain job function and they may not even think that you are capable of doing something different. I suppose it's like being type-cast for an actor.

It has been made clear to me at my current employer that I'm more valuable to them as a trucker than in any other role. So, here I go. Does anybody have a big rock?