Most likely the engineer won't find other dudes relatable, so he won't be taking part in the dick measuring contest, so he'll be at the bottom. Meanwhile the bartender has the same core values as the rest of the group, and has more achievements that are aligned with those values.

When I was a kid I was one of the best students at school which gave me negative respect from peers who valued sports, physical power, and pissing off teachers, which were things I sucked at. I think that your example is a similar situation.