Yeah, the terminal level, whatever the title (they are just words) need to be the point at which you can handle moderately complex (multi-week) tasks with no supervision.
And honestly, this will depend on the environment and kind of work being done.
And honestly, this will depend on the environment and kind of work being done.
Of course the pay won't be great, but the benefits are decent, PTO is usually excellent, and the work environment usually very low stress.
That said, there's something deeply wrong with our industry if that's the way we expect things to work. I never felt that teaching was my calling, but I might end up being forced into it anyway and taking up a job that someone with proper passion and vocation could fill. Why? Because my own industry doesn't understand that unlimited growth is not sustainable.
For that matter, "growth" is not the right word, either. We're all being told that scaling the ladder is the same thing as growing and developing, but it's not.
That said, there is an expectation of unlimited growth and it comes from a different source: ageism. At my age, the implicit expectation is that I will apply for a staff or even principal role. Applying for a "merely" senior role often rings alarm bells.
That trend -- and certain others -- are what's making me consider taking up teaching instead.
The point of the terminal level rule is that there is a point, bellow which you are not actually contributing all that much more in output then it takes to supervise and mentor you. At some point you need to be clearly net positive. This generally means you can mostly operate on your own.
If it becomes clear you won't make it to that level, then something is wrong. Either you are not capable, or not willing to make the effort, or something else. Regardless, you get forced out.