I think you make a very good point in your last statement. The reason for encouraging young people to succeed within institutional frameworks can be easily explained as a direct outcome of the needs of modern states to churn out skilled people for “The betterment of the Nation”. Schools were originally meant to train the population in skills that would greatly assist them as soldiers or workers in a factory. Life expectancies were different then and so were social conventions around eg marriage.

Today, most nations are at peace and life expectancy is generally large and fertility rates and marriage are declining. This means that there isn’t the urgent need as it was then to train early. Institutions should be changed with these new circumstances in mind.