Many valid reasons justified the barriers and hindrances among the various career paths.
The personal goals and backgrounds played an important role. After all, wealthy descendants would usually prioritize businesses to improve their family's position. Meanwhile, poorer soldiers would chase military achievements, hoping to secure benefits through promotions and special jobs.
Time was another massive issue. Climbing the political ladder was challenging and usually required years spent specializing in complex fields. Most people didn't have room to explore and excel in more than one path.
The conflicts of interest were also very relevant. Securing ranks inside the Global Army granted access to weapons and troops, which figures with special authority over planets or quadrants could exploit. Abusing that kind of power in the vast universe was easy and could create troublesome and illegal forces that didn't carry any flag.
