Personal anecdote: I was raised in a poor single home family (father passed) and had very little going for me when I graduated college with an econ degree and an old Buick. After burning out at a gas station job, I just sold my car and moved to Seattle - telling myself I'd figure it out. 4 years later I'm making as much as my peers who went the CS route, lived in an urban area their whole life, had strong support systems (family), et cetera. I know of people in worse positions than I was, so I won't pretend that I had a bad upbringing: it just had its challenges.
But what made me succeed was when I stopped making excuses and just put in the 6+ hours a day of coding at the cafe while I job searched. That combined with opportunity (someone took my resume), environment (Seattle is a great place to start your career), and a good support network (my girlfriend).
Having a positive mindset is just one part of success, but it's necessary. I know of a lot of college friends from really well off families that work middling data entry jobs because they have zero drive in their career.
But what made me succeed was when I stopped making excuses and just put in the 6+ hours a day of coding at the cafe while I job searched. That combined with opportunity (someone took my resume), environment (Seattle is a great place to start your career), and a good support network (my girlfriend).
Having a positive mindset is just one part of success, but it's necessary. I know of a lot of college friends from really well off families that work middling data entry jobs because they have zero drive in their career.