The Questions of Twenty-Somethings

The twenties are a time when one asks, What will I do with my life? What is it that I really want in exchange for my life’s labors? Most denied that the key desire of life was for material wealth; the preference was for work that offered significance, a feeling of making a difference. Teaching, counseling, and work in the nonprofit sector were important possibilities.

Of course, a bundle of folk said they were quite happy just to land a job—any passable job—that provides the income base for a reasonably secure life and some fun. Twenty-somethings are becoming aware that they…