Letters: Prigozhin is the model of upward mobility

Prigozhin’s example

Sir: Educationalists and policy advisers have long been concerned with identifying alternative routes of upward social mobility. The career of Yevgeny Prigozhin provides an illuminating example of precisely this (‘Crime and punishment’, 1 July). Instead of spending years swotting away at A-levels and business studies degrees, Yevgeny opted for hands-on commercial experience by running a hotdog stand in a big city. He was quick to recognise the value of physical fitness in the pursuit of ambition by engaging in regular training at a local gym. Networking was always high on his agenda, and he soon became close friends with an employee of the state intelligence agency who eventually became President of Russia.  From early on, Yevgeny understood that the ability ‘to think outside the box’ and employ unorthodox methods was a key ingredient to getting on in life. It is no surprise that he has come to be viewed by some as a modern-day equivalent to what Mikhail Lermontov described in 1840 as A Hero of Our Time.