Here maybe this will help you understand the problem with taking promotions just to take them. Today, I accepted a promotion from my boss as the head nurse in the hospital wing I work in. Apparently I wasn't ready and while very stressed I got two patients under anesthesia switched around. Now one is missing what was a perfectly good leg and another is missing his healthy lung. FML. Now wouldn't that be a terrible situation? #11- Your desire for more power and money insults me.

Managerial position? Oh please, managers are a little bit better versions of cleaning ladies. Most of them suck at their jobs and are throughly incompetent. You should have accepted the "promotion" although I understand your hesitation of becoming a glorified shit-cleaner.

#12 Clearly if the boss thinks you can handle the responsibility, then you shouldn't **** up that badly. If you did, than you should clearly find another career. And I'm sorry the fact that I dislike people who have no motivation to further themselves. It's not about money or power, it's about furthering yourself. If you wish to sit there and twiddle your thumbs for the rest of your life in a position that has no future, then honestly you have nothing to complain about when people wonder what you're doing with your life.

I turned down a promotion once. They wanted to make me a manager. I am a software engineer and good at what I do. I also happen to love writing code. As a manager I'd be an overpaid babysitter and be responsible for people I have no control over. No thx. I'd rather make less money and be able to look at myself in the mirror, and honestly say I love my job. I didn't get fired. Then again, I told them how I felt about being a manager and I guess that was a better reason than "I'm not ready". In this economy I'm better off because middle management is the first to go when times get tough. The people that keep the daily operations of the company running are the last to go ;)

#12- that mistake is impossible to make as the surgeon marks the op site in permanant marker so he doesn;t get the wrong leg/side of the chest etc. Or maybe thats just in my nice, organised hospital. Patients also wear name braclets and everything is TRIPLE checked by a) theatre porter, b) TWO nurses and c) TWO surgeons BEFORE the patient is knocked out.

#16- The situation has happened before. And the surgeon only marks you once you are in the room. You can be mixed up anytime before that. To say that situation is impossible is a blind assumption. I have had surgery three times and the only people who came to me BEFORE I was knocked out was the anesthesiologist and one nurse. #14- What makes the bosses judgment so perfect? What are these stupid assumptions people have? And whats the point of furthering yourself to just do it? I have specific goals for myself and I really don't see the need to go past them. I guess I am just not hooked on these grand illusions of "being successful" and having more money than you need. Like what #15 said, why keep moving up to a "better" job when you like what you do and you get what you need.

17- probably just in my local hospital then. Your details are checked by the surgeon on the ward and he or she marks you there.

#5 Err, no. If someone is being promoted, replacement has already been secured. Sometimes, promotion happens so that person does not clog his position - company simply wants people which you outrank to progress too and you would block the position. They can't allow that, especially if they would loose ambitious people thanks to "mr. no people skills." Sometimes promotion is way to retain person (with important know-how, contacts, popular amongst other workers, ect.) who is bad at their job, hoping that he would be useful as manager type instead. You do not say no to theese promotions

If you were a software engineer, perhaps what happened was that you destroyed the 'production' servers enough times that they thought they could promote you to manager to keep your knowledge around yet get you away from the code. Your boss probably stuck his neck out to get you the manager job, and by refusing, you left him no choice but you fire you.

You NEVER deny a promotion. This is an old, old message saying FIRE ME NOW!