There's an alternative: time/effort is a privilege. If I'm broke, I don't have any time to put in the effort to learn a new skill. I need to make ends meet now.

There's an alternative: time/effort is a privilege. If I'm broke, I don't have any time to put in the effort to learn a new skill. I need to make ends meet now. If I'm privileged I have the means to take risks. I can spend the time learning a new skill that other people can't. The broke person might be able to learn just as quickly and just as much as the privileged person, they have the merit.