What if, instead of being required to use ranks based on playtime, you could choose whether or not to use a new rank once it’s unlocked?
It doesn’t really make a ton of sense to have a newer character who is locked into a high rank for their position based on an OOC concept. It should be selectable for RP related reasons.
For example, if you make a character who is on their first combat drop, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for them to be a PFC right off the bat.
The whole point of the system (afaik) is to allow other players to distinguish bald players from those that know the game. Allowing people to “choose” their ranks would defeat the purpose of the system and just make it obsolete.