I don't know why, but it seems to me that Bob would sound a bit strange if he said, "Why is it that you have to get going?" in that situation. Why should, asks what you think are aspects or POTENTIAL aspects of the career that would cause a young professional to desire it. If this was a conversation as to how to increase the number of people in the field the answer could include aspects that do not currently exist.

Context Explanation

While the aspect could exist in potential, it would have to be real. Why is a just a rather odd wh -word. Its distribution is very limited -- it can only have the word reason as its antecedent, and since it's never the subject it's always deletable. Consequently it behaves strangely, as you and others point out.

Insight Material

Why have a letter in a word when it’s silent in pronunciation, like the b in debt? Can anyone please clarify my uncertainty here?