But tech is not a meritocracy. [1] [2]
Accepting that you have less control over your life may change some of your outcomes, but I doubt it would completely crush one's spirit.
I've accepted that I'll never flap my arms unaided and fly like a bird. I'm not depressed because of that realization. It's a known limitation of my life, and I can live with it, and I won't spend my weekends practicing my flapping and running skills. It actually helps me focus on areas I can affect change... such as building a jetpack.
Knowing which things are outside of your control should help you realize what is and is not within your ability to change, and then you can figure out how to make the most success given which variables are mutable or immutable.
You mention research about one's perception can affect later economic success; I'd be very interested in a reference.
[1] http://istechameritocracy.com [2] http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2014/02/06/272...
But it should be, and the issues laid out in your links detail failures to reach that ideal.
We can do better. That does not mean we stop trying or abandon the ideal that you should be known for your works above all else.
But just like any other institutional problem (racism, sexism, etc), it does no good to simply ignore it while it negatively impacts you. Instead, acknowledging your current situation, and working to make it better, is key.
Some people say it is, others say it isn't. Neither use a lot of data in their arguments.
Then you add questions of if who is chosen for promotion is sane, if what products a company chooses to focus on is sane, if what products the market chooses to make popular is sane. None of those are optimal in the sense that the "best" thing wins out. Marketing (of a product or self-promotion) and being in the right place at the right time dominate each of those steps.
So how on earth would you take that and get a meritocracy out the other end?
The second part of your comment is less relevant, as I think most "tech" people would say that e.g. promotions (management), product development (marketing) and the general market dynamics are highly "non-tech". But in many of these areas, people do try to choose the best - at least as far as marketing is concerned, companies dislike wasting money and choose to promote those people/products that they expect will produce the most profit. Companies' "profit", of course, doesn't correspond to a person's "merit" ("profitcracy"?), but the basic mechanism is the same.
2. Being good at self-promotion is a merit. Some have it and some not. You could not define merit as just technical skills.
Not many here would agree with you, on both sides of the table. Whiteboarding skills often do not translate into ability at a job.
> Being good at self-promotion is a merit. Some have it and some not. You could not define merit as just technical skills
Sure, but you're starting to beg the question. All systems are meritocracies if merit is defined at being successful within that system.
While Europeans seem to have come to the opposite balance of concerns on independence.
- providing the illusion of locus of control
- disassociating people/society from nature
- homesteader mauled by a bear = heroics!
- getting mugged in the city = decadence
For example, I've always found the argument that certain voters (commonly poor white working-class) who vote for small-government are voting against their own economic interests to be rather interesting from a psych perspective. I'm a libertarian so I don't put much faith in the idea, but I think that issue could be traced back to the concept of locus of control. Voting for larger social spending might benefit them financially, but it also means accepting the belief that control over their life is externalized.
The alternative--that control is internalized or even just the perception that it's internalized--is likely more palatable psychologically as a core self-evaluation, with a more beneficial influence on other CSEs (neuroticism, generalized self-efficacy, and self-esteem). That leads to better life satisfaction, and can contribute to later economic success according to the research.
Reality is a lot more nuanced than that, but perception is absolutely fundamental in terms of how it can affect personality.