The majority of the population doesn't even have access to a functioning computer. So yeah maybe somebody truly talented can figure their way out of that hole after a few years but that's where alot of people are starting from.
“I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops."— Stephen Jay Gould
To show the world you're a "world class talent", whatever that means, also suggests you would either have to be a genius or have enough resources to work on your side quests. Latter implies you're well off so, no, I don't think there's zero correlation between the two in all cases.
Redis, hping and dump1090 were all side projects he started/written while having a full time job.
Your comment really sounds like "many other people would do A and B if they just had time and money to do so", but he's been doing so since time and money were major constraints.
