My father is a remarkably talented guitarist. I used to think he was "good" as a kid, but it wasn't until I was older that I realized just how "good" he actually was. I vividly remember being home from college over the holidays one year, listening to some Rory Gallagher ('74 Irish Tour), and he just casually started following along with Rory's lead in Tatoo'd Lady. That's when it first clicked to me.
He was born in NYC and did all the terrible things that any kid would do in NYC in the '70s. But when my brother and I were suddenly a thing my parents picked up and moved north to the Adirondacks so that we, presumably, wouldn't do all the terrible things that any kid would do in NYC in the '80s.
While there is obviously no telling whether or not he would have become a successful musician by staying down in the city, there is no doubt in my mind that he was, in some small way, giving up on his dream by moving out of the city in an effort to give us a chance at a more, I suppose "wholesome", life as kids.
In a recent interview, composer Randy Newman explained how childhood connections got him into the business:
"Newman started writing songs because his childhood friend Lenny Waronker, who later became the president of Warner Bros. Records, suggested that he try it. βHe knew who Carole King was and stuff. His dad had started a record company,β Newman said."
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/08/21/randy-newman-co...
He is brilliant, but might have gone unnoticed if his best buddy had not been a second-generation record company executive.
Wozniak would have stayed in HP and probsbly remained fairly unknown if Jobs had not convinced him to start Apple with him.
As depressing as this seems, it does really seem to be the case. And it seems to be even more accentuated for non-programming jobs. At least in software, we have some kind of test (as flawed as it might be).
Lets say there was an absolute master of his profession that nobody knows. Compare that to someone who knows enough to get by when it comes to his profession but knows most people there is to know in the industry. In general, which one is more likely to get hired? Who will have better references? Who is likely to know about vacancies before they are announced? Are companies willing to hire someone because he answered more question in a test even vs who did OK but has a lot of good references from respectable people, some of whom they personally know?
Someone who only cares about a better paying job should spend 90% of their time in networking and 10% on honing their profession because networking is all that matters. Someone who absolutely loves their work will happily do their share of work for a lower pay.