I have told my kids many times, it's very important to make good impressions and be respectful because the contacts you make when you're younger will help you as you get older.

Eye On The Prize ...
 

For me, probably not. But some people like "pie in the sky" challenges, especially those with well paying day jobs, or those who have a spouse with a well paying day job, so they are free to chase their "side job" dreams without fear of financial hardships.

As has already been well covered in this thread, a lot of components go into one choosing a career, or side job (like officiating), with money and ease of advancement being only one of many components.

As I was about to graduate (B.S.) from college, I was highly recruited by two major oil corporations to work as a petroleum geologist (they were so desperate for geologists that recruiters actually came to our college). Lots of money was offered, but I would have to move from New England to either Alaska, or Louisiana.

Instead I chose to become a science teacher, at a time when there was an overabundance of teachers and an underabundance of teaching jobs (out of literally several dozen resumes mailed out, I only got six interviews (four interviewers didn't actually have any open positions at the time, they just wanted to meet with me because I graduated magna cum laude and they wanted to keep me on their radar in case an opening became available, one wanted me to go to summer school to add chemistry to my certification so that I could teach high school chemistry and coach basketball and baseball), and only two job offers, both less than ideal. And this was at a time when Connecticut teachers were grossly underpaid (I had to work summer and part-time jobs during the first twenty-five years that I taught).

There are too many reasons for me to detail all the reasons why I chose a teaching career instead of a much more lucrative career with an easier path to get a job and advance in the petroleum industry, but I obviously didn't chose teaching because of the money or the guarantee of getting a job.

Since junior high school, I always wanted to be a science teacher (but I admit that I was tempted to become a geologist by the easy money and an easy job waiting for me after graduation).

Again, people have been and still are getting ahead that way. Examples of criteria that trumped what I or others did on the court:

-- in a position to award an intramural contract
-- grew up and went to school with a prominent local official
-- played softball
-- worked in a certain profession in their full-time job
-- worked for a certain employer
-- able to provide a business service to the association

And those criteria most often involved people who looked like the person making the decisions because they came from the same circles and backgrounds.

But discussions about "drawing a line" are only brought up when the criteria may be related to demographics.

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Sour Grapes ???
 

- A star high school, or college basketball player, with a name recognized and well known in the state.

- Originally from the local area, with a social, or professional, network already in place.

It wouldn't be with a bullet, but I probably would have moved up the ladder a little faster if I hadn't moved all the way across the state before I became an official; away from my high school teammates, friends, coaches, teachers, neighbors, etc., several who became basketball officials. When I first started, I could count the people that I already knew on my local board on the fingers of one hand.

I also moved from the original area to a new area. I went to everyone's camp to get noticed and got opportunities when I worked harder than others. And still there were guys that got opportunities simply because of who the grew up with or that their dad was also an official all over the place. I still got to some places but no one just gave it to me either. And I was willing to do things that others were not willing to do. I know many people that were not willing to go to uncomfortable situations at all. They stuck to where they were and they had more success. It was just hard to miss because I was willing to go everywhere.

Peace

This was me. I knew everyone back home and was already getting varsity games in my local area after 5 years, this was back in 1991. Once I moved and didn't know anybody, I virtually had to start all over.

This was back when most of the AD's scheduled their own officials and I was the new young punk who wanted to move up too fast and needed to learn his place.

A Foot In The Door ...
 

One good thing about IAABO, I believe that moving from one local IAABO board (even out of state, or out of country) to another local IAABO board guarantees one a foot in the door with the same type of assignment schedule from one's previous local board. But it's only a guarantee for the first year. After that, one falls under the "up and down the ladder" guidelines of the local board and the whims of the assigner, so one better make a good first year impression.

Things get complicated if one's IAABO membership lapses (a year, or two, off to move one's domicile, and to start a new day job career) before joining a new local IAABO board (I was on a grievance committee tht dealt with such a scenario).

Unlike the Pope, and Supreme Court Justices, one isn't a working IAABO member for life (with a few honorary exceptions).