move out to move up

English

Verb

move out to move up (third-person singular simple present moves out to move up, present participle moving out to move up, simple past and past participle moved out to move up)

1. (set phrase) To advance one's career by leaving one's present employer in order to take a better position with another employer.
   • 1978 May 22, "Come Aboard! Electro '78 Career Cruises" (GTE employment advertisement), Computerworld, p. 85 (retrieved 16 May 2014):

     In our world of communications, you don't have to move out to move up. When your objectives change and your abilities expand, you'll find your next level of achievement is waiting for you elsewhere in our world.

   • 2004, Jeffrey G. Allen, The Complete Q&A Job Interview Book, →ISBN, page 189:

     After a year of working below my capacity and receiving no response several times when I asked to be moved into the position promised, I realized I'd need to move out to move up.

   • 2011, Laurence Behrens, Leonard J. Rosen, Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum, 11th edition, →ISBN, page 210:

     Now, with flatter organizations, promotions may be less available so you may have to move out to move up.

Usage notes

• This verb becomes the core of a proverb when used in generalized imperative or hortatory constructions. Some examples of common proverbial forms:

• the best way to move up is to move out
• the only way to move up is to move out
• the way to move up is to move out
• you have to move out to move up
• you must move out to move up
• you need to move out to move up

See also

• go along to get along
• job-hopping
• up or out