The Corporate Ladder

I don't know how much I really talk about working at Lowes with people I don't speak to every day, but I know I've been talking about it a lot lately. See, for the past 8 months I have been running the department of Seasonal (which includes Inside Garden, Outdoor Power Equipment and Shelving in my store). The problem with this is that I am a Team Leader, not a Department Manager. I have been fine with this because, ultimately, the Department Manager catches the flack if something goes wrong and all I have to do is go fix it for him without any trouble because everyone is really just glad I'm there, mostly. Recently I have come to realize that my department is running so well that I'm not worried about the little bit of something that I might get in trouble for. Now I am realizing that I damn well deserve the monthly bonus checks and the raise-whatever that might be! SO when my boss (whom I love dearly) was decidedly transfered to the Recieveing Manager position and the Seasonal Department Manager position came open I decided to apply for it because I do it anyway. The problem is that I never finished the Entry Management Training Program when I took it last year (and, technically, it probably would have expired by now anyway) because the store wasn't at a point where it could afford me the extra day off to do my work and I wasn't motivated enough to take the time to go in to work on my off hours. EMTP is required to move up to Department Manager (unless you were Grandfathered over before this policy went forward-like my former Department Manager Lacey who stepped down when she came back from having her baby); and you have to have taken the class within the last year or it will expire. The only way I could get the job is if I was the only applicant for it...and someone else had all ready applied! Obviously I am the most qualified, but because of the damn class and the other applicant I, technically, can't get the job-even though I am starting the new EMTP in December! Sucks, man! So Lacey applied for the job because we don't want this other person to get it and I'm still going to be interviewed just because, but I'm very frustrated that it is happening this way.
The point is, I didn't realize how much I wanted this job until I couldn't (technically) have it and now I am kicking myself for not being more motivated before. I can't believe I even want to move up because I applied to Lowes for a part-time position as a JOKE when we first moved back here...and look where I am now!:)
I really think that our Store Manager has a greater plan for the whole thing, though. See, our Outside Garden Manager is stepping down in December and, therefore, I will be getting out of EMTP just in time to take over out there...and BOY do they need someone like me to organize and get that place running because, although I love David dearly, he sucked at being a People Manager and Organizer. It's a scary task, but I'm willing to take it, I think, because I don't trust anyone else to do it.:) (Both my moms are nodding their heads and laughing right now) The Bright Side is that, if Lacey gets the ISLG/Seasonal Dept. Manager job and I get OSLG Dept. Manager, we can finally start running the departments as SISTER departments instead of warring enemy departments and that will makes things run SO much easier. So, I guess either way will be worth it-I'll just have to wait longer if the Seasonal Dept. Manager position passes me up.
WHEW!