I think it’s a bit anachronistic. Today, when a project ends at one of these big companies, the people get laid off. They may find another position internally,

I think it’s a bit anachronistic. Today, when a project ends at one of these big companies, the people get laid off. They may find another position internally, but everybody starts at zero again. The only thing that matters is the skill set and proficiency demonstrated in your last project. Sucking it up on a bad assignment sets you up for more of the same. And let’s face it, you’re not going to excel. Career aspirations over. Mediocrity is a state, not an identity, and there is a reason most people end up there. The people that liked your attitude working on stupid stuff will help you get more of the same. If you want to go from bad to good, you have to make a change yourself. You have to skill up, maybe quit, maybe go back to school, maybe find someone with big ambitions that is desperate enough to take a chance on you. It’s going to feel like a step down, an admission of failure. Because it is, whether your fault or not. Just get out. But why don’t people do this? Why do they get stuck? Usually this comes down to personal relationships that are not robust to failure, cannot accept downgrade of lifestyle or prestige. These people are stuck faking it forever, living in the land of the dead.