This could be an interesting topic, as justbb's post illustrates.
My sense of this is the 90's and the period up to 2008 or so created some completely unrealistic expectations for college graduates.
The first was the need for immediate rewards in the job market.
The second was the exorbitant salaries being offered in the investment banker and other similar worlds, and some of the messages that conveyed.
The third was the idea that "I want" , I want "immediate," but "I want" mentoring and support.
The 4th was I "want" my personal time...what are the benefits, vacation, and hour expectations. For far too many, it became what are you going to do for me as your employee, not the other way around.
The years 2008 to 2010 have brought a sobering reality, but many still don't accept the world changed.
What I like about most of those articles is the passion that comes through. Young people starting their careers and doing what creates passion and where they feel passion.
Our son is a volunteer baseball coach in college. His pay is $0000,00, unless something comes from Camps. Two of his best friends have just been hired into 6 figure salary jobs in NYC.
From a career standpoint, they have nothing in common.
From a passion standpoint, they each love what they have chosen. What makes it even better is the friends making the 6 figures in NYC are two of our son's biggest supporters in keeping his passion and encouraging him to stay with it while he proves himself and begins to move up, with a salary, even a smaller type one, each month.
I know that when a paying position happens, his salary won't be anywhere close to matching his passion and love for what he is doing. Hopefully, his passion will always exceed his salary no matter where he ends up financially.