earning stripes
When you do something so amazing it makes your boss want to throw you a party and give you a raise, and also throw your ex a curse for being a total pain in the ass.
My boss said I earned my stripes after I fixed the entire office computer system in one day.
I earned my stripes when I stayed up all night to finish the project and my boss gave me a raise and a donut.
My coworker earned her stripes after she yelled at the printer until it worked and the printer started crying.