This. We need to stop sugar-coating things in this world. I'm an adjunct at a major Big Ten school and I see this all time with my students. The mentality is that if I just have enough education, the jobs will be waiting (law students anyone?) -- yet these sames students make little to know effort in school to do anything other than show up (occasionally) and squeak by with their 3.0.
The parents of my generation (born in 1984) have babied and protected their children to a fault. Reality is not always pleasant and life isn't fair--instead of telling our kids they can be anything, we need to give them the tools to choose marketable and worthwhile careers. Unfortunately, we can't all be astronauts and veterinarians.