In my opinion, I think that upward mobility is difficult. If you are employed in a job that requires you move up the ranks from the bottom up it can be difficult. For one thing, it can be competitive to the point of one stepping on another to get where they want to be. Where you start may have little to do with your experience. I say that because when you start from the bottom and work to move up the ranks, a person without experience may be hired and get that position before you. I know of this being the case in my experience. A person can have tenure and hands-on experience and be overlooked for someone with no experience but they have a college degree. Think of how many times you see someone in a managerial position and thought to yourself how did they get there? They don't seem to know anything about the position they are in. I hope this is what you were looking for & it helps.