Years ago a person would accept a position with a company in hopes it would be their career until they retired. The goal was to graduate high school and receive a job with a company you want to stay with your entire career, or even work for the company while you were in school. An employee would have to start at the bottom of the ladder and work there way up to the top or even in the middle. Employees could always count on some type of gift and maybe even a retirement party when it came time to retire.
When an employee was hired for their position they would be required to cross train in several areas. This way you gain knowledge and experience in several different areas of your job. When you are cross trained you become more valuable to the company and have a better chance of being promoted to a supervisors position or even into management.
The workforce is a lot different now days. You may only work for a company for a short period of time and only learn one skill, but take that skill with you to a different company. An employee may even learn a new skill but still be doing the same type of work. A person might have several different careers before they decide on the one they want to stick with or a company they feel they want to stay with. They may retire with a company after only working for them for a few years.
In the working field today it doesn't matter if you have been with a company for years or just a few months. If you have a skill in management you could be hired into a management position and not have to work your way up the ladder. Management is viewed on your people skills not what you know about the product or company. A management skill is looked at as how well you motivate the employees and show the ability to get results that the company is looking for.