He could probably walk right in to the job his mentee was fired from - he even has a contact at the company.
That was an odd part of the story. If you make less than someone, you're not really "mentoring them" in that.
That part read as jealousy to me. I have some friends who make more than me and I do nothing but congratulate them.
It is jealousy and it's fully justified jealousy. It's not just some buddy who makes more than you, because he was lucky getting a better job. The person in question is incompetent, 100% not fit for the job, a fraud and adds negative value for the company. Would you be happy and congratulate him on making more than you do?
He wasn't "lucky" to get a better job. He got it. It's not a lottery. You apply, and someone hires you.
If you want a better job, go get it.
The "lucky" friend was just for juxtaposition. The point of my post was not about the role of luck or lack of it in getting a job.
A junior developer earning 20k more based on a supposed 6 months experience?