Luck plays a role. A significant one.

But so do you!

Here's an example from my own life:

In the late 80's, heading into the early 90's I was working in manufacturing. Paid poorly, but man! I love that work. Had a great time, worked with people who had real skills and built up a set of my own too.

Saw the outsource waves coming hard. They were big and they were going to gut manufacturing. We all talked about it.

Few of us really did anything about it. I was one of the ones who did.

I started networking. Got out there, started having lunches with people, attending various groups, all sorts of stuff.

Fast forward today: I'm running a startup with a partner doing work with metal additive technologies after a 25 year run in CAD / PLM. Back to manufacturing as an reshoring wave is headed our way. For many doing the work the pay is still not great, but more opportunities are out there now than there have been for a long time.

My peers from that time period are mostly doing the same work, for almost the same pay ( and if that doesn't speak to some troublesome economic policy, I do not know what does ), or are employed in other fields.

A few of us moved up and into another class basically.

Lucky? Hell yes!

But, had I not done the networking, I know absolutely I would not be in the position I am in today.

In a basic sense, this all works a bit like a lottery or raffle. Consider each interaction with others a ticket.

The game is going to reward X number of tickets. And Y tickets may be rewarded due to unplanned opportunity happening as a result of a group of people realizing something is an opportunity that they would not have realized apart or in a different context.

There are Z tickets total, let's say.

People who are active in this way, talking with others, helping others out, seeking help, and doing projects, whatever they can do, get a lot more tickets than most people do.

And because of that they seem more lucky because more of them find opportunity than the baseline people not so active do.

Now, I have one other thing to say and that is about the "do what you love and money will follow" many people say is really only applicable to well off people who are somehow enabled to do what they love because their basic needs are covered somehow, or put another way, they are just not needy which frees them up to explore what they love.

The truth is many of us can do what we love and money will follow, but it's hard work!!

What I did was work my job and put 20 percent of my free time into "hobbies" that were skill builders toward "what I love" and that activity coupled with the networking and helping others is what got me a lot of those raffle tickets to better opportunities!!

I spent a ton of time doing electronics and programming on my own. A lot of it was retro computer based because I love retro computing. That 8 bit era is so damn much fun! I still love it. But, I also used it as a vehicle to build skills I would need later on, and it all worked out. Working on bigger systems helped too. I didn't put all my time into 8 bitters. I had SGI unix systems purchased off ebay, a couple pretty good Linux machines assembled from parts I got many different ways. And I setup an electronics lab made of second hand gear, some things I made myself, and a few gifts from people or trades I got helping others out too.

When opportunity presented itself I knew enough to be able to go for it and knew enough people to get help too.

Don't get me wrong. I've been lucky. Others I know will own their own luck too. ( in comfortable conversation )

But, I also maximized my chances. The cost was a bit less free play time than my peers had, but really it was also time I really enjoyed because it was invested in things I love to do and that really interest me. Mostly, I didn't catch as many movies and as many parties. No joke!

But, I had many more interesting lunches meeting great people doing all sorts of stuff!!

I am nor sure that was a cost as much as it was just living differently.

To sum up:

Sometimes a person gets noticed, or a co-worker can lend a hand up. This happens sometimes, but not too often.

More often a person gets noticed when they are active among other people. This happens more often.

Getting noticed is "that person deserves an opportunity", or "I know a guy who can get this done", or, "Did you see her project? It lines right up...."

Helping others often results in those others wanting to help us in return! Not always, but pretty often.

Doing stuff results in skills, stories one can tell, reasons to talk with others, and a general increase in competency and capability.

All that type of activity is what does tend to very seriously increase one's chance of a "luck" event happening!

They are also what can very seriously improve one's ability to take advantage of a "luck" event, which is what I call an opportunity, generally speaking.

All of what I just said is what one can do when having means, available capital isn't on the table. Wasn't for me. I came from poverty.

And there is no shame in poverty. It sucks. Way too many of us are there and it's not OK. There is a policy discussion to have one day soon. And we should have already had that discussion. Like I said, we should have it one day soon.

The shame, if there is any at all, boils down to those of us able to help others out not doing it. And in like kind, those of us needing help, some opportunity, not doing things to increase our chances of seeing opportunity and being able to act on it in a meaningful way.

*Labor theory of value*

I think you are right about work not being interchangeable. It's not been that way in my experience. Some work is. Other work isn't, and people and their basic nature vary widely too.

This does imply just working hard isn't enough. I don't agree with that at all!

What you do matters. And "working hard" means doing more of the kinds of things needed to improve luck more of the time in my view.