Off course everybody needs money to survive. But when choosing a profession, some people choose to be an attorney because they can get a big salery.

However I choose computer science because of the passion. I also had a passion for making music. But the passion and the money are the drivers. But the main driver is not the money.

I guess that could still depend -- suppose the individual in question made lots of money by selling a software product, and develops a passion for it due to the payout. Does it matter if he was initially passionate, or only after making the money?

A friend of mine hated piano as a child, only after many forced hours of practice (from his tiger mom) he became really good and started to win state championships for his ability. After a few more years, he developed a passion for it and played piano for fun. He never liked piano to begin with, but when he became good at it, he developed that passion.

So I'd argue that a bad programmer, after making some decent money, can become passionate at it when the initial driver started as money.

Do you by chance read Cal Newport's blog? or have read his recent book "So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love"

nope, did he form the same opinion as mine?

yup

I guess if you are into something with a passion (programming), more often than not you are going to be good at it and the money follows.