As we got to that middle part, I was hoping it was going to turn into a neat critique of the idea of slaving yourself to a job to survive. Just really turning the screws on the idea that 18 year old kids should be planning for a career so they can "thrive" and then... that's the sum total of life's goals. No adventures, no exploring of the self; simply a job and maybe kids. Then it just became a straight faced sad ending.