An interesting point of comparison is with finance. Most people going into IB/private equity/etc. make no bones about the fact that they just want to make money

An interesting point of comparison is with finance. Most people going into IB/private equity/etc. make no bones about the fact that they just want to make money (and "win"). Wanting to just make money is a positive trait. There are lots of people going into finance (non-quants) that have the mentality of just getting in, earning millions, then leaving the field in their thirties.