In current job market trend, i do not understand one thing.

Often, i see guys exceptional in academic skills, technical skills and experience, but strict to a bad job. They will be aware of latest technological trends, buzzwords, very broad friends network, but they will be working for a bad team or company. Sure, I'm not referring to next generation startups. Bad team, i mean less competent engineers, bad product using EOL technologies and always catching up with past emails. The standard of their living and style, accessibility for these guys would be low. At a point, they stand isolated from current market. They wouldn't even understand how certain stuff work when it comes to switching jobs, negotiating the salary, choosing the job, etc.

On the other hand, i see mediocre people with less technical knowledge and no relevant experience for the job doing exceptionally well in life. They work for a gaint corporates getting fat paycheck almost at the grip of things and understand the kind of environment they are in.

Somehow i could not understand why it is so. How these two guys prove a point to the world and what makes them apart. I feel bad when I get to meet one of these guys. If you ask, what kind I am: I would say "I don't know"!