And the replier to OP is arguing that just because it worked for OP and a friend doesn't mean it's a good strategy. This is selection bias. I also think of it

And the replier to OP is arguing that just because it worked for OP and a friend doesn't mean it's a good strategy. This is selection bias. I also think of it as a survivorship bias and some correlation/causation violations: Me and my successful friends (I don't hang out with unsuccessful people) have similar stories, therefore our choices are a pattern which can be followed to our successes. I could say "every successful engineer I know either abuses drugs or has in the past" and it could fundamentally be true for me and the group of people I know. But would you agree with me if I said that abusing drugs is a smart strategy to succeed?