> the risk you take working for other things (ideals, status, etc) is that, if you become disillusioned, you're left with nothing.
> This has happened to friends of mine in social work.
Yes. Worse, after that many years working (e.g. in social work) for ideals|status|etc., whatever other employable skills (e.g. coding) that you may have had has now atrophied.
Even if you kept up your skills in your own time, you still have this long employment "gap" to get over in your job hunt / resume / interviewing.
So if you become disillusioned, you're left with nothing, and might now be stuck continuing to work in that disillusionment (to put food on the table).
> This is the worst, to me. Purely financial motivation is one of the surest ways to be trapped in a role you hate. Make sure what you do offers you personal and social rewards that you value.
Money is fungible for a great many things in life- the risk you take working for other things (ideals, status, etc) is that, if you become disillusioned, you're left with nothing.
This has happened to friends of mine in social work. They believed they could make a difference, went through all the hoops, kept up with the continuing education and licensing requirements (not covered by the state, obviously) and after years completely disillusioned from the bureaucracy and human nature.