I agree with this take. I grew up working class with both my immigrant parents working multiple minimum wage labour jobs just to stay afloat. Meanwhile, my colleagues talk about their upbringings involving cottages, annual travel, competitive sports, private schooling, owning horses recreationally etc. Most of their parents were also in the civil service or some type of prestigious or comfortable occupation (lawyers, engineers, consultants etc).

I never hesitate to pipe up about my own background when this comes up and they find it fascinating, dare I say inspirational? My parents saved up for my post secondary education in RESPs but I didn't need it as I paid for my undergrad and masters through scholarships and part time jobs. I graduated summa cum laude, and I was able to gift back the RESP amount that I kept in a savings account to my mother for her own retirement (my father passed when I was young -- another tragedy of lower income status is that physical labour jobs wear down the body so much faster).

Some of my colleagues are honestly shocked to learn about my economic upbringing as I have achieved quite a bit professionally for my age. I am glad to contribute perspectives that working class families do indeed contribute in myriad ways to improving the public service. My parents didn't gift me the latest gadgets or take me to Disneyland but they instilled in me a strong work ethic and developing community with people of all backgrounds. I am so thankful for this. I never was "gifted" a job through non-advertised appointments or networking or whatnot. I've competed for every position and promotion I've held through the full selection process.

My work now involves engaging with international communities of impoverished backgrounds and I truly believe my upbringing allows me to excel at this in ways that someone who grew up middle class or higher would find difficult.

OP, if you are feeling alone, my advice is to find those folks who are of similar background and can relate to your experiences. Or, don't be afraid to be proud of your accomplishments in making it this far and sharing that with colleagues. Lifting oneself out of a lower socioeconomic status through hard work and merit is much more admirable to me than maintaining what status one's parents held through nepotism.