Indeed, I think it creates an odd inversion over the course of the educational process. The people who started with great work ethic and the motivation of a remunerative career, but little actual interest in the content, did great in high school but eventually gave up and switched majors.

The people with variable work ethic, but who could be motivated by the subject matter itself, mastered the subject and ended up with the remunerative careers "by accident."

A lesson I learned too late.

You have to be willing to do the work, yes, but also figure out what you really, really like doing, and then do it -- a lot. Over, and over, and over, for years or even decades.

A lot of times its simply difficult to find what one really likes doing. But I agree that ones who do end up "succeeding" really follow the template you propose here.

That being said, running after high remuneration in and of itself isn't bad. Sometimes its just what you have to do because a lot of other people depend on it.

Sure, I guess that's one way to look at it.