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Comment by wanderingmind | Hacker News Reader

Meeting less competent people be extremely successful in life compare to the more competent folks. Through my life, I have seen people less curious, less innovative, no passion to learn, not interested in working hard, but are good at gaming the system excel and succeed. They become rich, financially independent, have great success. While people much smarter than me, more curious and innovative fail again and again to make a dent just because they had a late start, poor network, wrong time and place etc.

It made me realise that success is not because of what you are capable of. To, most extent its about how you fit into the system and work it to your favor.

So, while I'm still curious and interested to learn (why else to visit HN), I have stopped feeling bitter about my efforts not providing the returns. Its just the way world works.

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This rings true to me, perhaps because I struggle with this one.

I used to think I was destined for success, because I'm good and creative at many things, and am curious and can teach myself things.

But: I expected the system to integrate me. I realize now that, unless you're lucky, it's up to you to integrate yourself into the system.

It's a bummer to be underpracticed at this, and to be integrating suspiciously late. Feeling your potential, your ability to create great value for the system (while hopefully inspiring the system to also take good care of you). But instead only tapping a small fraction of your capability, because you haven't managed to link yourself in right.

If you ever get involved in hiring people, you realise that there are people slipping through the cracks. I've come across freelancers or underemployed people making a fraction of what their skills should be earning them, and it seems totally arbitrary that they're in such a position. It's lucky - for both sides - when this match happens.

An efficient system would make this integration easy, but I agree, for a lot of people to get anywhere, they have to "insert themselves".

Simultaneously, it's actually quite easy to be oblivious to this -- if you go to school, get good grades, get a graduate job, and do well enough at your job (but remain a normal employee), you'll never have the opportunity to have this realisation.

Alternatively, the people you perceive as 'less competent' might actually be highly competent in different areas.

People who have made a lot of money from scratch don't actually tend to be incompetent - they tend to be highly competent at whatever they are doing.

There are very few self-made rich lazy people.

I encountered someone with no high education and no proven skills, no job but has the ability to remotely implant emotional dependency into someone from higher class, then somehow convince her to leave her wealthy family and their first world country just to live with him. Some people call this love but I consider this as a very special skill

They did not have a “late start” etc. It’s not just luck.

They just could not. Being clever in one way does not translate to being generally effective.

Scientists would rule the world if that were the case. Yet they are with very, very few exceptions actually bottomfeeders when it comes to power. Those “low competency” people you speak of however..

Interesting, around me, smart people succeed and not-so-smart succeed less.

The smart ones sometimes choose metrics for success that aren't traditionally valued. (Ie. not rich and financially independent like you mentioned. But boy do the smart ones succeed!)

depends on what society you are from, in America usually people who have a lot of knowledge and are innovative and work hard can succeed. If you come from a corrupt third world country then yea, the only thing that has value is power, nepotism etc...

> in America usually people who have a lot of knowledge and are innovative and work hard can succeed.

Maybe in the olden days. Not so sure the American dream is alive anymore.

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