To be devastated I didn't get the job

[Ronalling]

I'll give a little context, I started at the company I'm at in 2021 (new company so no one is from before 2019, hardly anyone before 2021). I work in the entertainment/creative industries, I don't want to say exact title as could be outing with the other info, but think of the performing arts.
The company are restructuring due to faster than expected growth and wanting to focus on a different market, a new role was made, advertised only internally. I interviewed in June/July, we were told we would hear nearer the time and other things had to be sorted first. It is a middle management role, sort of joining the creative side with the company as a whole, lots of time spent on meetings and admin and making sure others are doing their jobs but still some creative input and studio time. The internal job advert was vague, no time of experience noted, just you had to already be in a certain role. I'm 35, have been doing that job at other companies for 10 years, then for as long as anyone else at this company. I have a degree that is related too.
On Thursday it was announced that a 24/25 year old, who only got the job that was required experience wise last summer, has the job and has known since August!! She is very likable and has climbed the ranks in this company, one of the originals etc. In her first few months she caused waves due to the success of one of her pieces of work. All the normal things were said, she is a breath of fresh air, brings a new level of creativity etc. Honestly I didn't get the hype, she is just very likable and dare I say pretty privilege. After this she was given the opportunity to work with other teams and none of the rest of us were. It has basically gone from me being her boss in 2021, being equals in 2022, to her being my boss now!! They are also paying for her management course (though I think they were going to do this for whoever got it).
I'm so frustrated, I don't understand what she has that I don't, she is 10 years younger, no degree, barely any experience and will be making £80,000+ a year which is substantially more than me!!
It is also unlikely she will leave the job anytime soon and there are no other obvious progression paths at this company so basically I will have to leave if I want to progress.
I guess AIBU to be upset and think it is really unfair that someone who is so much less experienced/qualified has gotten the job over me?? Should I complain to someone??

does your experience cover specifically the creative industries? If not I'm sorry but you really don't have much to add here as they operate in a completely different way to the rest of the working world. It's one of the few areas where the Equalities Act can be disapplied.

Yes. I do have specific experience working with students applying to work in creative industries.
I didn't say nepotism doesn't exist, just that it was a bit of a reach to suggest it in this case given the lack of evidence. And given the broad description of the role to OP described I'm no sure that it would be exempt from the Equalities Act - there doesn't appear to be any genuine occupational requirements at play. It seems like its an admin/management job with some creative input....but we can't say for sure as the OP has been deliberately vague.

@AgaMM yes thought so.

I think you are projecting somewhat.

As are you, by being adamant the other candidate is a nepo baby when there is no evidence for it. I am sure OP would have shared that information if relevant.

Nepo babies exist, but there's no reason to believe it's the case in this example.

Unless you know that it is, is like saying the young female candidate probably got her job because she shagged the boss. Sexist and demeaning.

No not projecting. Raising the issue as a possibility as it is known to be a big issue in the creative fields. So much so that several articles have been written about it which previous posters on this thread have linked to.

It's strange that you have decided that I am saying that this person only got the job because she is "young and pretty" when I made no reference to that at all. The OP was questioning why someone who didn't seem to have the skills and experience for the job got it. I then raised the possibility of nepotism being a factor due to recent experience of many examples of exactly that happening in a similar field, with the connections not being immediately obvious to others without inside knowledge.

You have chosen to equate this thread to your own personal experience and thus treat it as an attack on you. It is not in any way the same situation and is not about you.

I'm sorry you were treated badly and that was not fair but that is not the same situation at all.

It's hard to know without working with you both (maybe she's the best thing since sliced bread) but it would likely annoy me too. I remember a previous boss making his freshly graduated son our manager. I'd managed him on his work experience the year before and he wasted loads of my time asking how to do his role whilst getting paid shedloads more than me and the rest of the team.

No one has said she has shagged the boss where did you get that from? That's nothing to do with the nepo baby phenomenon. Do you understand the term?

Do you understand that saying something is like something else is not the same as saying it is something else? (It's called a similie.)

Hmm very touchy. I find it very interesting how rattled some people are getting on here. Lots of attempts to deflect away from the issue I actually brought up. The superior attempts to write me off by casting aspersions on my education. All very interesting.

I find it very interesting how rattled some people are getting on here.

Having another opinion is not being 'rattled'.

It sounds like the sort of thing a nepo baby, who's not used to being challenged, would say.

You're all really funny

I'm enjoying this

In my industry I've seen many, many young and inexperienced people being promoted above older and more experienced workers. The universal truth is that experience does matter, especially in my sector (healthcare) which is so political. The young ones come in, start implementing things that we know won't work because they've been tried before and didn't work then because they were crap then, and crap now.
Young inexperienced manager gets moved on to somewhere where they can't do damage.
Older, experienced people get to pick up the pieces.
That is reality in many sectors and in real life. On MN however, young, inexperienced people get the job because they are SO much better than older people, bring in new ideas, deserve that promotion. They are never young, pretty and blonde and so the senior manager wants to get in their pants, or young and gobby and memorised the latest management buzzwords.....
Get out of that place OP. Go somewhere where experience, qualifications and, yes, age is appreciated.