Most organisations do the Typhoon thing as described above, including the CS. I expect half the Pruners could tell a similar tale to what follows.
At age 43 I could reasonably claim to be
1.as good a weather forecaster as any in my generation [which, to be fair, is not saying a great deal, but I pass lightly over that]
2.a decent lecturer, GIT course, Finningley, Met O College.
3.a decent computer programmer.
I had not a clue regarding:
1. management
2. project design and supervision
The biggest team I had run numbered three people.
SO .........
........... as you pass GO, please continue to No 1. Group HQ Bawtry, run the Main Met Office, be the AOC's MetMan, be line manager of all 1 Group Met, plus all the Training Bases, [125 staff in all], help to write the Distant Learning Met. package, OH! and could you sort out the move, lock stock and barrel to Leeds in a year's time, and you might as well look after all the Civil airfields in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. And did we say the Falklands were about to be invaded?
What saved me? A brilliant team [I tried to get several of them honours and was turned down, but did get a lot promoted], a superb AOC, the 1 Group Mess dirty song book on Friday afternoons, and a great deal of luck. Not to mention a supportive wife, family and dog.
I doubt if there is anything unusual in this, but career progression it is not.
And could I add that, whereas Elgar could have written, and did, my entry in the sisemen stakes, he had nothing to do with the others.
Go on, think about it.