Other forms: golden tickets
A golden ticket is something that grants you an opportunity for something great. It might be an actual ticket to visit a chocolate factory, or getting accepted to a prestigious culinary school that gives you a leg up in the chocolate business.
While the earliest recorded use of the phrase golden ticket was in the late 1600s, its modern, metaphorical meaning arose after the release of a popular children's novel in 1964. In that story, five children found literal golden tickets to tour a chocolate factory, but unbeknownst to the ticket holders, there was an even greater opportunity attached to the tickets. Since then, the term has been used to refer to rare opportunities for experiences or benefits one would not otherwise have.