Perhaps the most enlightening conversation I have had on this issue was one with a close friend's 23 year old son last summer. As I good naturally complained to him broadly about his generation not having a desire to work as hard as those before them but, rather, approaching work win a 9 - 5 mentality, and not seeing the advantage of getting ahead, he said something that hit home with me.

"The way my generation sees it," he said, "is why should we work harder and harder to make you money when we can't even my a home." Continuing, he told me that his was the first generation that couldn't afford to buy homes after college while working at a good job. Because of this, many friends of his saw no reason to go to college and, certainly, no reasons to go above and beyond at work, try to get ahead, etc.

He was headed to medical school, so he recognized that his life likely would be different. Still, he was speaking for many, if not most, of his friends.

That 30 minute conversation has stayed with me.