It's all kind of interesting to me. My first job out of an ivy league college was slightly more than minimum wage. I was going to be an artist and I just needed money to make ends meet. I didn't think career. It was 1971. I can't say this was a wise choice but at the time it was what I did. (Should have gone to art grad school... sigh). But I don't know that I was atypical for my time and place.
11 years later, divorced no kids, I was pretty broke. I had managed to be an artist for several of those years but financially it wasn't enough.
So - I did a one-year MBA thinking THAT would change my life. I really got into it - suits, professional hairdo, pearls (ugh...). I still had trouble getting a job - I guess my hippie past was just still visible.
Finally I started getting "real" jobs and ended up at 50 in IT making halfway decent money, and retiring at 62.
The thing I have seen is that the kids of today want a lot - and work to get it - if they are educated. They are bizarrely career-minded but I find a lot of them are pretty shallow. They are conservative and they marry and have kids. Maybe this is more in the midwest than the coasts. I'm not sure. I do know they buy all new furniture and so on. Coming right out of college and into a $70K job is amazing to me.
I think education is the key. I'm from the northeast and I see my cousins' kids doing very well - but in interesting careers. But we come from an atypical family where all of our parents were college-educated and most of our grandparents' generation (great uncles, etc.) were. I think it makes a huge difference.
I imagine that most of the people on this board have lots of books in the house (or equivalent). Have you watched TV or movies lately - and do you see books in the homes?
I know I'm rambling but I think family values about education and work and reading and thinking have a lot to do with motivation.
My cousins' kids (the ones who are out of college) are a doctor, film editor in Hollywood, record producer in NYC, magazine editor, programmer at Google, beginning US diplomat on her first assignment, facebook game company employee (not sure what she does)... But I think they are exceptions and they don't match what I see here.
Sorry for the rambling post, it just got me thinking! Always a good tihng...