QOTD: Luck OR Hard Work ?

[alien]

Just today, one of my friend landed in a job in prestigious Harvard University. When I think back, he didn't make to the top 5% in the class back in school days. Didn't perform well in local A/L for the first time. However, he eventually went to USA to major in micro-biology, later he entered a PhD program and now he secured a job offer at Harvard. The people who out-performed in school are mostly doctors back in SL or simply wasted their lives one way or another. Sounds like a fantasy right?

One can conclude this as an eventual outcome of hard work, and another can interpret as luck (and I am one of them).

Forget about this incident for a second, think about the whole luck and hard work concept broadly.
Is luck what makes some of us edge out from rest of us ? Or is it the plain dedicated hard work ?

What are your thoughts and opinion on this matter?

[Dhanu]

You can't get through life thinking luck will solve all your problems, you will have to work to achieve your goals. But yes, luck does play a major role in how your life would turnout to be.

[dreezone]

Nice thread...

What I believe is that you got to have both Luck and hard work to get to the top of your life. You have to be ready to work hard in every opportunity you get. Because luck will not happen always.

[Claw787]

Hard (smart) work!


You have to work hard.
Luck just what it is.... luck. If you strike it, great. If you don't, move on.

What makes you think your friend was 'lucky' to get that job?


'went to USA to major in micro-biology, later he entered a PhD program and now he secured a job offer at Harvard.'
'The people who out-performed in school are mostly doctors back in SL'

So your friend DECIDED to go to US and DO a Phd. Other doctors DECIDED to go back to SL and work. That doesn't sound like luck to me.

See a video here, (with better words ) http://www.inspirationlounge.tv/inspira ... i-get.html

[Soap McTavish]

My friend graduated and went for his first interview. He wasn't that good but they were so impressed they told him he is not suitable for this position but later they created a position and hired him. He works for London Underground and makes £45000 year Luck ^^

Anyways its a bit of both. you have to work hard and you have to exploit. Thats the key. if there is a short cut available take it !

[NPP]

i guess it's SMART work + well exploited opportunities.
hard work won't matter unless the work is smart and gives results beyond expectations
be heard and be seen in what you do

everyone in SL A/L work HARD just to go to local uni and be a victim of the system. Most end up working for someone doing a monotonous job with a fixed pay.

People who work smarter, look and make use of opportunities will go up very soon in leaps

[Soap McTavish]

People who work smarter, look and make use of opportunities will go up very soon in leaps

Yes more likely. I didn't do good in A/L but I quickly realized I need to take a different path. I choose IT and worked very hard.. (I mean very hard for many years) I had a friend who made it to university to do engineering in SL and he recently passed out and now working for a company for a average pay which he complains about..(Mind you He is way smarter than me) while I finished my Masters in UK before him and make probably 10 times more than him and have better life standards than him in-terms of work experience, social life, girls, fun etc

[NPP]

Yes more likely. I didn't do good in A/L but I quickly realized I need to take a different path. I choose IT and worked very hard.. (I mean very hard for many years) I had a friend who made it to university to do engineering in SL and he recently passed out and now working for a company for a average pay which he complains about..(Mind you He is way smarter than me) while I finished my Masters in UK before him and make probably 10 times more than him and have better life standards than him in-terms of work experience, social life, girls, fun etc

you made a big investment and u r reaping rewards, while his was free education.
But I'm already trying my best not to fall into that same category even though im in a free edu uni thanks to my mum and this stupid society

[alien]

I think LUCK trumps the HARD WORK in any path of life.

I never believed in luck that much. So I worked so hard for many years. But now, seeing how others are doing, I think LUCK is the game changer compared to HARD WORK.

HARD WORK is necessary in terms of survival. Say, you join a company just play farmville on FB without doing assigned work, of course boss will kick you out next month. But working hard doesn't mean you will level up in the career or getting a massive bonus at the end of the year.

And same is true for romantic stuff. I see some kids in here getting hooked up in their first week here, for the rest of their lives. Some try hard and get one in a later year. Some.. they never make it despite how much effort they put in (like the idiot writing this ). Some even meet their life partner at unlikely places... like gym (I am serious.. my best of bestest friend met her husband at a gym!)

As for my friend at Harvard, I think his case was more towards LUCK. I think he had some relatives who were studying in US. So he did have the right info to begin with in terms of going for studies there (something I never had). Then he entered PhD just to extend his stay in US, so he can become a naturalized citizen. I am pretty sure he was working under a right professor, otherwise he won't be hearing such job openings (i.e. Harvard). Obviously, he has played a part too.. mainly assimilating with the local culture. I heard some SLs in US never even tried a hamburger or pizza. In that context, my friend has made a quite a progress. I am so happy for my friend. At least he is living the dream what most of us dying to achieve.

Having this understanding, I don't dare to bet too much on things that require enormous quantities of LUCK.