Quote:
Originally Posted by
zarathustra 
Based upon that logic, someone should never work too hard, until they get a job with a clear path to upward mobility. Don't you think that the failure to work hard in the past will hamper those opportunities?
First: I am attempting to explain the existence of an attitude among my generation, not act as an apologist for apathy. (I feel that this is a necessary remark to make)
It goes without saying that staying with a company for 30 years is effectively a dead paradigm. Why produce exceptional work when adequate to good enough will do, and one can jump ship for another firm looking for someone with 3-5 years experience? On the other hand, there are a number of people (that I know personally) who do not fit into the prior statement, but they were generally hired by top firms (Goldman Sachs, McKinsey). Of course that cycles back to my original comment on millennials: the top performers are truly exceptional.