i don't need to be in the industry for the same amount of years as most people to get the same pay, benefits, and recognition because i'm better than most people that have been doing it for longer than me.
that's why unions suck. advancement is purely based on time and if you figure out a way around it everyone cuts you down for it.
but this is also why i have a degree and work for a privately held company. i may not get a pension when i retire, but i'm paying into my own pension via profit sharing and purely making more money than people that have been in other jobs the same time frame as me. suck it.