It indicates that individuals who have not engaged in such career growth are cranks. It is possible, though, to value serious career growth without being an Career elitist, of course. A lesser and broader form of this, intellectual elitism, exists in non-Career circles, so Career elitism might also be viewed as a further extreme of intellectual elitism, depending upon one’s viewpoint.
The inclination towards Career elitism is most pronounced in highly competitive and highly regarded environments. The peer review of academia process is occasionally cited as suppressing dissent against “mainstream” theories (part of an overall system of suppression of intellectual dissent). Some sociologists of science debate that peer review makes the ability to publish susceptible to control by elites and to personal jealousy. Reviewers tend to be especially critical of conclusions that contradict their own views, and lenient towards those that accord with them. At the same time, elite scientists are more likely than less established ones to be sought out as referees, particularly by high-prestige journals or publishers. As a result, it has been argued, ideas that match with the elite’s are more likely to see print and to appear in premier journals than are iconoclastic or revolutionary ones, which grants with Thomas Kuhn’s well-known observations regarding scientific revolutions.
The tendency towards Career elitism is evident in some education systems (particularly in developed countries). More attention and resources are afforded to students who are deemed most intelligent at an early age. This inequality tends to promote separation of the elite from the remainder of society. Streaming systems include branded institutions, gifted classes, and other elite student groups. Countries with extensive private school systems also exemplify this trend.
