I'd argue that being skilled in your own right is a surer path than riding coattails. Granted, most of us would like the latter method to be even less reliable,

I'd argue that being skilled in your own right is a surer path than riding coattails. Granted, most of us would like the latter method to be even less reliable, but in most lines of work it's hard to turn down who's hard working and very good at what they do.