I'm not so sure about that. Other careers are also influenced by luck, connections, social skills, the economy, bad corporate decisions, technology changes, foreign competition, etc. When asking others about their professions, be sure you are not subconsciously selecting only the successful ones to chat with. Ask them if their boss deserves to be their boss, and if co-workers who surpassed them deserved to do so. You might find that "merit" is in the eye of the beholder, and is not always rewarded, in aviation or anywhere else.