Starting from the Bottom

Roughly 3.5 percent of the total population of humanity possessed the right genetic aptitude to pilot mechs.

Of this privileged group of potentates, not all of them chose to attend a mech academy.

Perhaps their families abhorred the prospect of sending their children off to battle.

Perhaps the potentates did not possess genetic aptitudes that were high enough to enjoy good careers as mech pilots.

Perhaps it was difficult for them to pay for the tuition that mech academies charged.

Even so, many potentates still went on to attend mech academies instead of regular schools in order to leverage their rare advantage in life.

Since mechs were so popular and so prevalent in the public consciousness, practically every teenager with at least decent genetic aptitudes chose to pursue their childhood dreams and study to become heroic mech pilots!