Imagine being overqualified for a job, and then seeing the perfect position open, but your boss keeps moving the goal post.

This is what happened to this man when his boss kept dangling a carrot in front of him. Until he stood up for himself.

Let’s read the story.

I need a degree to get promoted? Fine, I’ll leave to get one.

While I was a college student in the 80s, I accepted a job as a second-shift Computer Operator at a large regional bank.

The job duties were processing all the checks and payments, printing statements and checks, running all the backups, and so on.

On the day I showed up for the job, I learned that I wasn’t getting that job but a lower one which physically loaded the check readers, loaded printer paper, signed checks, burst forms, and so on.

Interesting.

The Lead Computer Operator had apparently threatened to quit if they didn’t promote internally and give the job to one of the current people in the position I just ended up in.

(They later got married so you can probably figure out her actual motive.)

But, the Department Manager, Mr. Biggs, my boss’s boss, told me that I would be promoted to Computer Operator as soon as anyone left the position.

But it was pretty much a bluff.

You guessed it!

Two years later, no one has left the position, and we acquired another regional bank.

Our CEO told the CEO of the acquired bank that no employees would be fired so, suddenly, we had an extra Computer Operator on every shift.

But, Mr. Biggs insisted I’d still get promoted because he knew I was the most computer-literate employee he had.

This was something he used to his advantage in numerous side-projects which should have been paid at a much higher rate.

Classic. But he did not give up.

Six months later, one of the Computer Operators finally transferred to the Programming Department.

I ask Mr. Biggs to promote me to the position and he told me he was working on it.

A few months later he finally tells me that they still have too many Computer Operators because of the acquisition and I wouldn’t be promoted until more of them left.

He kept chasing the carrot.

Clearly, this wasn’t working, so a few months later another position opens in the Programming Department and I apply for it.

Mr. Biggs signed the form allowing me to apply and wished me luck.

The interviews went well and Programming wanted to hire me but a few days later the Computer Operator who transferred there told me something, privately.

Basically, Mr. Biggs went to the head of Programming and asked him not to consider me for the position because I was his “best employee” and he couldn’t afford to lose me.

Who needs enemies?

The head of Programming told him, “No. I’m going to hire the best person for the job.”

The next morning, the HR Director calls me to say that one of the Executive Vice Presidents wants to interview me for the position.

She’s flabbergasted because he’s never asked to interview anyone of that level and couldn’t explain why he wanted to now.

After the interview, the HR Director called me, apologized profusely, and told me they were giving the position to another candidate because he had a college degree.

Ouch. He finally understood there was no future for him there.

No, it wasn’t related to the position in any way.

The degree was from an unaccredited college which had actually asked me to teach computer courses there, which I’d turned down.

Of course, I knew what had really happened, so I told the HR Director that I hadn’t realized how important a degree was.

I also told him that I would immediately switch to part-time instead of full-time so I could take more hours of classes to finish my degree more quickly.

He started putting himself first.

There are no part-time positions in Mr. Biggs department so it meant transferring to the department run by his biggest competitor within the company.

She transferred me immediately at the same pay I was making in the previous department and I never worked for Mr. Biggs again.

That’s just plain sabotage.

It’s good that he left.

Let’s see what Reddit has to say about this situation.

A reader shares a similar experience.

This person had a clear goal in mind.

Another person went through something similar.

The more you know.

Another reader chimes in.

A reminder.

If you’re too good for a job, this means you’ve outgrown the current one.

He realized his worth and went where his skills would be appreciated.

Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were traveling for business.