I agree that wealth mobility is based on choices and most people make the wrong ones to become wealthy. Note, I did not say the "wrong ones", I said the wrong ones to become wealthy.

Before I retired, I was CEO of a company with 42,000 employees. Like every company, you identify the individuals in your company that are going to determine its success and do what it takes to try to keep them. These people are rarely "the smartest" or "most educated", but they are "educated" and they are smart, but mostly they simply outwork everyone else, and you can't afford to lose them, if you want to be successful.

If you are an average worker, I hate to sound cold, but you are replaceable as long as the salary I am paying you is competitive. It doesn't mean, you are not appreciated, but you don't bring something special.

So why is mobility so slow for most people? Simple math. The average person manages up to 10 people. Early in one's career, you have a bunch of promotions... entry staff, staff, senior staff, and sometimes super senior specialist. But then it ends. In the trades, it is apprentice, journeymen, master and then it ends.

In a typical period, structure, that means only 10% of the people are going to make supervisor/manager. And of course, that job won't open up until someone leaves, but in my experience, you can expect the job to open up every five years.

That first promotion is pretty easy. Work hard and put your time in and you will probably make that first rung. But now, out of 100 people that joined the company as "entry" staff, there might only be 1 job above the supervisor level, let's call in manager.

So, after racing through those first three levels, only 10% of the people make it to supervisor and only 1% make it to manager.

But when those super exceptional people along, that "jump" the line, meaning that person waiting for their chance to be supervisor, sees someone jump ahead of them. That explains your article. But you could be that person that jumps ahead of everyone by being that person, your company cannot afford to lose.