There are certainly areas of life that more expensive relative to income than in the past while at the same time there is way more access to education on just about any topic, different ways to make a income and ways to start a low cost business. Biggest issues are instant gratification, entitlement, delusions on what it takes, broken homes, lack of morality(which has a hard work and accountability component) short attention plans and way too much access and use of non productive debt. Still possible just a different path than what might of worked a few decades ago