How do I Become an IT/IS Manager? (Score 1)

I started off working as a contract employee for a smallish security startup firm. I spearheaded the companies effort toward making our chosen Disaster Recovery system work. When we completed our office move, I was applauded before the whole company as "The engineer who succeeded in doing what the last 3 top tier engineers couldn't." I was definitely seeing this as a company to find a permanent home with. About a year ago, I came on board as a permanent employee, and a few months later it was announced the would be assigning a "Lead engineer" position who would oversee the efforts of the whole engineering department. The company also stated quite clearly "We always give preference to internal candidates for promotion". It was stated pretty bluntly to me that I was the leading candidate of all the internal candidates they had to choose from. I had demonstrated leadership ability among the engineers, respect among the other departments, creativity to find solutions to the challenges that the engineering department faced, and a customer focused attitude. End result: they chose an external candidate. Not only that, but a candidate who it seemed at first might not even be eligible for the security clearance that the job required. Essentially, the reason that was given to me was that "Whoever goes into this position will likely be thrown to the wolves in an 'office\customer politics' sense. We really need your engineering skills and don't want to risk your becoming bitter over the situation." In the year and a half that I was there, I saw several positions open up, and exactly one internal candidate advanced into a higher position. So much for "preference to internal candidates". Three weeks ago, despite our project being about the only consistent source of revenue in the company, I was laid off due to budget cuts. I was told that because of the way the company and the contractors from the partner company had their agreement drafted, I was really the only choice for them to lay off. What a believe now... A company is not a moral entity. They will say and do anything they can to their employees if it helps their bottom line. Even if that means lying to their faces. They told me they didn't want me to become bitter with the company and end up losing me. They let me go, and in so doing CREATED a bitter ex-employee. I found a great new job within 2 weeks. My old company... missed the deadline on the project I had been working on and, at last word, is still scrambling to finish. Which highlights the other thing I believe now... no company brought a successful project in on time by being self serving, and immoral.