Well said, Stephen. The hardest thing in the world for those of us that teach IT to do is instill the love of technology in our students, particularly if someone came along and sold them on the idea that getting this/that degree/certificate is going to earn them big money, etc etc. It really does come down to the motivations a student has coming in.
Many more than not are extrinsically motivated - that is, they are motivated by what they can tangibly get out of it, a good job, a phat paycheck, or some other thing.
The road less travelled is those that are intrinsically motivated. Those are the ones that are in the game because they enjoy it. These are the ones that make us feel like we're actually helping someone further along, and adding value to IT in general.
It's incumbent for the student to bring their A-game to the classroom every day.
/r