[drewsing]

Wow. I agree.

I'm a 21 year old that goes to your regular, univy league college, the University of San Francisco. I would say drive, and the willingness to dream (and take risks) is almost dead among your average Americans who HAVE the skill and talent to develop science and technology.

I've had discussions with my co-Founder about this (we're applying for YC this summer). We believe the American dream has morphed. Everyone is scared in our generation. We're scared of not getting jobs, of not living the cushy lives we thought would be handed to us as kids.

Now, our generation is more than happy to settle for a shitty internship, to settle for ok, to settle for "getting by". It's because we're scared. Scared of what our future holds for us (which no one really knows haha).

Of course, there are exceptions, but I'm speaking about the high school and college segment as a whole. These are my opinions from what I see in talented people I know.

[jacoblyles]

No offense, but your observation is probably less true at the better schools. The middle of the bell curve has never been exceptionally motivated.