I voted luck. Here's my reasoning.
I know people who made enough to retire many times over, because they were at the right company at the right time.
I know people who made and continue to make millions and move up the corporate ladder, because they knew the right people, and followed them from company to company.
Both of these groups of people had to work hard, go to the right schools (for the most part), and prove themselves at work in order to get into the right company/right circles. But all of that would have been for naught if they didn't have the luck to be in the right place at the right time.
In a sense, they put themselves in a position to take advantage of their luck. But they still had to be lucky, as I also know plenty of other folks with similar qualifications that do not "make it".
I know people who made enough to retire many times over, because they were at the right company at the right time.
I know people who made and continue to make millions and move up the corporate ladder, because they knew the right people, and followed them from company to company.
Both of these groups of people had to work hard, go to the right schools (for the most part), and prove themselves at work in order to get into the right company/right circles. But all of that would have been for naught if they didn't have the luck to be in the right place at the right time.
In a sense, they put themselves in a position to take advantage of their luck. But they still had to be lucky, as I also know plenty of other folks with similar qualifications that do not "make it".
