Bottom line is that both licences are in wide use while focused on different types of code, permissive licences (along with LGPL) are more targeted at framework/library code while GPL is more targeted at fully self-sustained solutions.
They both have their respective strengths, and it's not as if you can't have professional software developers cooperating under the GPL, Linux is a prime example of that.
Not really mate.
Lots of companies use linux for firmware and release their firmware code. Linksys, Netgear and Western Digital are just a few that spring to mind.
Eventually the students will either have to find a job (assuming they are not being perpetually subsidized by Mom and Dad), or become leaders in the GPL community and make money by writing books and doing speaking engagements; and since there is only room for so many leaders, only the most fervent ideologues will rise to the challenge.
You know what's BSD/MIT licensed (or similar)? Python, Ruby, Rails, and probably a million other things you use every day. Good software is good at making a community of developers, regardless of the license.