The older I get, it ends up being mostly “Whoever has the richest parents has the highest chance of graduating college, getting into grad school, starting a good career, and starting a successful business.”
I read the news and see my old classmates who used to eat free and reduced lunch at school. The ones who lived in subsidized housing. They’re in the news now for robbing convenience stores and getting into gang violence.
And then there’s the classmates whose parents are doctors. Now those kids are getting into medical school and etc. They aren’t even the hardest workers. They used to be the class clowns and the bullies. But their parents could afford to pay for their college and housing.
I look at myself: former class president, honors, and a whole bunch of stuff. And I’m struggling to afford the basics. Can’t afford school. Don’t think I’ll ever be able to.
The weird thing is that there is no strong correlation between who was the smartest and who’s the most successful. There’s a loose correlation, at best.