Many debate the long-standing dilemma regarding social and financial standing in

relation to success; compounded with other means, success is measured academically (with

grades), financially (with income), socially (with feelings of belonging), and occupationally (with

employment rate). Extensive research proves and disproves a causal correlation between the

topics, in addition to similar ones. More evidence points to high or low socioeconomic placement

having a tremendous effect upon one’s success or failure, respectively.

Initially, one might point out certain individuals who have worked through the

disadvantages and tribulations of their particular class and become successful. One young man,

Andrew Carnegie, breaks the norm and experiences an opulent lifestyle despite coming from a

background of poverty. With the perfect storm of opportunity and persistence, he climbed the

corporate ladder. His story began with migration to America from Ireland. At the ripe age of

twelve, he began working as a bobbin boy (Source A). A young adult, he received more

prestigious opportunity. He created the first billion-dollar company in the United States (Source

A), and, amazingly, achieved so much starting with so little. In extraordinary cases, such as

Carnegie's, one can achieve numerous feats without coming from a high-class background.

Conversely, financial or social shortcomings continue to stratify educational and thus

occupational ability. An analysis of twenty-seven unemployed college students has revealed

new information regarding the relationship between demographics and prosperity.

Unemployment during undergraduate school reduces chances of employment, even twenty

years afterward (Source B). Social minorities are more likely to seek part-time jobs, yet less

likely to obtain them. Meeting financial needs is a top priority among these groups, but groups

less financially-motivated receive an overwhelming majority of positions (Source B). Even when

such groups obtain jobs, they are often demanding and daunting. Since the working-class is

notorious for physically-heavy occupations and not the intellect attached, financial status is
associated with cognitive ability (Source C). Psychologically, when one is assumed to be less

worthy, one is more likely to perform as if he or she is less worthy. With lower expectations,

fewer resources, and worse conditions, lower-class students have a significantly reduced

success rate.

Additionally, academic success is significantly stratified. Middle and high-class parents

not only have more resources to spend on their children but are more willing to keep tabs and

mandate their child’s academic success. Schools in lower-income areas have not nearly the

amount of learning tools and resources of higher-income areas. In “Home Advantage” (2000),

the author observed middle and upper-class parents draw upon connections to improve their

children’s ‘educational advantage’ (Source D). Parents commonly pay for tutors, extra classes,

and have internet access to online tools. There is large-scale data regarding the possibilities of

social and academic stratification measured over 6 years and into secondary school.

Separations of success can be confirmed by age 12 (Source E). Results suggest different

background variables may be less influential than current situational factors regarding their

background. “A telling story arose in Brantlinger’s (2003; 140) research. An elementary teacher

described the two-track system of her classroom-- tracks A and B were for top and bottom

students, respectively. Middle students were ‘randomly’ assigned to one of these tracks to keep

things somewhat even. When asked how the random assignments were made the teacher

reported that she put rich students in track A and poor students in track B. Otherwise, she

noted, she would have to deal with wealthy parents angry their students had been placed in the

lower track. Lower-class parents wouldn’t know to complain, so it made her life easier to

construct the tracks so. Teachers have in many cases learned to fear middle-class parents and

disregard working-class parents (Lareau 1987; 1989; 2000; Sacks 2007),” (Source C). Some

might find such a notion fictional, but similar situations have been reported globally. A decent
education is the building block of a happy life, yet some children and adults are denied the

privilege.

Birthright has largely influenced the chances of success in the education system as well

as finding a job. Ample examples and research studies claim a relationship between class and

achievement. As society changes, minorities are being recognized alongside their struggles and

hardships. More exposure has helped to achieve equality, but there still remains many social

issues.
(Source A)
KAZA, GREG. “Andrew Carnegie: An Economic Biography.” Quarterly Journal of Austrian
Economics, vol.
19, no. 3, Fall 2016, p. 302. EBSCOhost,
proxygsu-sfor.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=tr
ue&db=aqh&AN=121026679&site=eds-live&scope=site

(Source B)
Roberts, Steven, and Zhen Li. “Capital Limits: Social Class, Motivations for Term-Time Job
Searching and the Consequences of Joblessness among UK University Students.” ​Journal of
Youth Studies,​ vol. 20, no. 6, July 2017, p. 732. ​EBSCOhost​,
doi:10.1080/13676261.2016.1260697

(Source C)
Hurst, Allison L. ​The Burden of Academic Success : Managing Working-Class Identities in
College.​ Lexington Books, 2010. ​EBSCOhost,​
proxygsu-sfor.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db
=nlebk&AN=597472&site=eds-live&scope=site

(Source D)
Demerath, Peter. ​Producing Success : The Culture of Personal Advancement in an American
High School.​ University of Chicago Press, 2009. ​EBSCOhost​,
proxygsu-sfor.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db
=nlebk&AN=307078&site=eds-live&scope=site

(Source E)
Hetty P.J.M. Dekkers, Roel J. Bosker & Geert W.J.M. Driessen (2000) Complex Inequalities of
Educational Opportunities. A Large-Scale Longitudinal Study on the Relation Between Gender,
Social Class, Ethnicity and School Success, Educational Research and Evaluation, 6:1, 59-82,
DOI: 10.1076/1380-3611(200003)6:1;1-I;FT059