I would argue that their science career came first. Even if less remunerative.
> graduated as class valedictorian in 1984. During high school, Holland was the best student in mathematics in his year,
from wikipedia
> graduated as class valedictorian in 1984. During high school, Holland was the best student in mathematics in his year,
from wikipedia
You don't have to dig very deep to find counterexamples. Dr. Brian May was the lead guitarist and a founding member of Queen. He holds a PhD in astrophysics. Tom Scholz was a founding member of Boston and has a master's degree in mechanical engineering from MIT. Dr. Brian Holland is the lead vocalist for The Offspring and has a PhD in molecular biology.
As a more personal example, I spent my high school science classes competing on each test for top marks against Wesley MacInnes, who today is an actor and country music singer. (He was the school bully in the last Power Rangers movie. It was an amusing role. Wesley was an extraordinarily kind person in real high school.)