Career stuff and credit histories ...

I had one of these frustrating days at work. I am at a point at my job where it seems it's not good enough anymore to do a really good job at what you do. Instead having become a more senior employee it is expected to reach out, make others better, etc. While I don't have a problem with this, on top of that stuff, my managers want me to become more visible. So, within a company like IBM, there are certain groups, panels or institutions that can help to get to the next step on the career ladder. I am told, that it is important for me to connect to these folks. One of these groups often hosts internal studies or conferences and any IBMer can submit his proposal for participation, sort of like a conference. Now, a month ago, I submitted a write-up and got the notice that while there was nothing wrong with my proposal, I wasn't invited. No reviews or criticism, just the notice that there were many proposals and that they were sorry. After a little bit of poking around, I found out that participation was sort of restricted to the people who have already made it. Now here is the dilemma, in order to get to the next phase of my career I need to part of these things, but in order ot part of these things and get exposure, you already need to have reached that next phase. Doesn't make sense, you say? I agree, it is like trying to get a credit card when you come to this country as a foreigner. Most often, they tell you you can't have one because you got no credit history and you can't really build a credit history without a credit card. Sometimes I don't get it ...