People can work for passion, some times even contrary to their own self interests, especially when you're starting your career. You hopefully grow out of it when you become established because companies don't pay large salaries for passion.

I've not seen smart professionals put passion before money unless it's their own company, and that's becaue they expect to earn quite a lot in the future, so it's usually money first, and that's OK because you need it to live comfortably.