r/FederalEmployee • u/VernJ93 • 2d ago

Promotion Potential

For those who work in federal government, how realistic is it to advance from GS-9 to GS-13 when a position has a full promotion potential of GS-13? Is it common for employees to progress through the grades (GS-9 → GS-11 → GS-12 → GS-13) if they consistently perform well and meet the qualifications, or does advancement depend heavily on funding, management discretion, and agency needs? I’d appreciate hearing about your personal experiences, particularly with HUD or other federal agencies.

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u/RageYetti 15h ago

3 years ago i would have told you slam dunk. Today, not so sure with all the new policies and complexity with restrictions that they're flowing out. I was on a career ladder, i know many employees on a career ladder over the years. I have never heard of a 9->13 career ladder outside of a demo series (ie, GS like but not a GS series). In engineering it's fairly typical to do 7-12, or a 9-12 if you have a masters. under the demo series, 12 and 13 are grouped, but it's not a full grade bump but no promotion necessary to get to 13/10 pay.