Yes, it is impressive to see people improving their lives, and we should work towards a society that helps people do that. However, to just write it all off as if "hard work" is the only thing preventing a lot of people from improving their lives is very much blind to the reality that a lot of people are _already_ working very hard, just to stay afloat as is, and there are other factors beyond "hard work" preventing change.

Acquiring a skill takes money (if there's any kind of accreditation) and time. If you're living paycheque-to-paycheque and looking to change employers, chances are you don't have much of either. Not everyone has a safety net.

Which is why having a safety net is so important in society, and therefore, society should subsidize it.

But no such thing exists in America, so that's how do many people get stuck with no options.