Would Reinhard Heydrich have risen as far in the navy?

What might have happened if Reinhard Heydrich had remained in the German navy instead of joining the SS?

Heydrich probably would not have risen as rapidly or as far in the navy because Nazi organizations rewarded his particular character and methods.

Heydrich was dismissed from the Reichsmarine in 1931 after becoming engaged while already committed to another woman, then entered the Nazi movement soon afterward. A continued naval career probably would not have taken him as far or promoted him as quickly as the SS did. Nazi organizations offered unusual opportunities to people with his character and methods. The counterfactual turns on institutional selection: the qualities rewarded by the SS did not guarantee an equivalent naval career. His dismissal from the navy therefore matters because it preceded the SS career in which he rose quickly.