I've helped countless people get the mid ranged NM's gear.
Fact is alot of that NM gear can last you way into the 40's if not all the way up to 50.
Leveling is only too fast if people grind in XP parties for 4-6 hours a day and thats more a problem with the player not the game, there will always be people who want to rush to end game.
You will find that in most MMO's mid ranged dungeons and content will be skipped past mainly because people want to be at end game where everyone else is, there is also that peer pressure of people expecting you to level fast and join in aswell, it certainly isn't something new in the world of MMO's.