in my opinion(too bad my argumentative essay i have to write later isnt of this topic)
growing up in poverty doesnt affect your chance of success, its your resolution, or rather your attitude or resolve. if theres no will, theres no result. (almost) everyone has a chance to go to school, to learn, to have a chance to get a degree to show the working world that you have that peice of paper which shows you are qualified in that certain soemthing. it doesn't matter if you're rich or not, for example, im from a normal family, normal income for parents,a round 7-8k each month combined i think. but my friend whose family owns a terrace house(or is it a bunglow? i forgot. sorry.) and has a rich family tends to get lower scores than me. why? attitude. she doesn't really care about some subjects, since she isn't going to take it next year. so she justs anyhow do it(sorry for improper english ._.) to get a passing grade, for example art, only me and my (one)classmate bothers to show effort in doing the prepetory studies properly, not like the rest of the class, who either just doodle some shit, hand in some crap late, or not give anything at all. result? they fail. they blame the teacher whose like a veteran in the school having taught for 15 years(the school's 20.)she has the kind of attitude where(by my cca teacher) she is scared that since the art exam is with the other exams like maths, science history, she's scared that we wont be able to do our studies while revising and whatnot. so she is always hurrying us every lesson to do it. a lot of people are unhappy since they dont know this. result? no attitude = no effort = no marks = (infuture) no "success".
no one becomes rich by sitting that like a spoilt shit, they have to work. i dont know, but there may be people who dont work(or learn) because their family is too rich, or something. i think only in this can "growing up in poverty lowers your chances at success in the future" apply because it would be correct if the same went for a family whose quite poor maybe? but the children dont want to work for their future. but when they grow up, there is no family fortune to support them.
growing up in poverty or non-poverty doesnt matter, something that matters is connections. (did you? i think) you said you "influenced" your friends. i believe people with less money tend to get work earlier in their life for experience. no one will hire a rich man with university degrees over a poor man with university degrees and a working attitude, never mind that he's poor. because he has that attitude in working from younger age, than the rich man who has not suffered any trouble and thus has no experience.
im talking crap here right?
to learn english just read the forum.