prepare to move

Think of education and background as a pyramid. Think of career and future as a pyramid.

The movement from the first pyramid to the second is mostly horizontal. Meaning, the level of the education and background will determine the career and future level. Some outliers go steep in either directions from either ends. These outliers are very rare. The majority is moving in straight lines (or slightly inclined lines). The more horizontal the line the thicker it is (i.e. the more people are on it). The majority of people filling the top corporate jobs come from top universities and/or top backgrounds. The same works with acting careers, movie making, theatre and the arts in general. The same with consultancies, tech, car racing, cooking and so on. There is a direct correlation between your background and your future.

But there is no certainty; it is a probabilities game. If you're on the lower end of the education and background pyramid, then the odds are stacked against you. If you are at the top of the pyramid then the odds are with you. But it is never certain. Never.

If the odds are against you, be prepared.

The very famous and valid saying by Seneca 'Luck is when preparation meets opportunity' highlights the importance of preparation for success. You have to be prepared to be able to gain from an opportunity. The more important- and lesser known- saying 'Because of preparation, opportunities arise, and therefore you get lucky' demonstrates how without preparation, luck itself becomes scarce and opportunities few and far between.

For instance, my best friend's dad is one of the best and most important famous surgeons, but that's never created an opportunity for me because I have never been prepared with anything relating to surgery or medicine or the medical domain in general. For anyone else in the medical field, knowing this person would've been a great opportunity, opening many doors.

I can go on and on and give you millions of examples of how someone you know or someone who knows someone you know could have been a great opportunity. But I will summarize it with this: In the context of the 'law of six degrees of separation', preparation can get you to the top of the world. Only preparation can unlock the web of the six degrees.

Without preparation, and bar the extreme cases of absolute pure luck, you will move horizontally, if not marginally downwards.