This argument is so dear to so many people: that guy is not successful because he works hard, it's because he's privileged and can afford to fail, so he can take chances, and second chances and third chances. I'm not privileged, so I'm not successful.
The reality is that the difference between success and failure is in the majority of cases due to consistent small choices with compounding consequences. The decision to stay late at night and finish an assignment, the decision to not drink a lot at that party, to go to a summer school rather than a trip, to not cheat on a girlfriend, etc, etc. Later on in life, when the nerds get to get their "revenge", well, it was due to privilege all along ...
The reality is that the difference between success and failure is in the majority of cases due to consistent small choices with compounding consequences. The decision to stay late at night and finish an assignment, the decision to not drink a lot at that party, to go to a summer school rather than a trip, to not cheat on a girlfriend, etc, etc. Later on in life, when the nerds get to get their "revenge", well, it was due to privilege all along ...