Money, Passion, or Growth? What Students Should Prioritize Early
Satu Academy insight featuring senior aerospace engineer Baktash Hamzehloo: Why early-career growth often beats chasing salary first—and how students should balance money, passion, and long-term learning.
Key takeaways
- Prioritize career priorities for students over hype, shortcuts, or comparison-driven decisions.
- Why early-career growth often beats chasing salary first.
- Show proof through projects, internships, and habits—not inflated résumés or memorization alone.
- Interview source: Baktash Hamzehloo on “Money, Passion, or Growth? What Students Should Prioritize Early” (Satu Academy).
The Career Question Almost Every Student Asks
During our interview with senior aerospace engineer Baktash Hamzehloo, we discussed something almost every student struggles with when planning their future:
Should you prioritize money, passion, or career growth?
According to Baktash, the answer changes depending on what stage of life you are in.
And for students or young graduates, one factor becomes far more important than most people realize:
Growth.
The Three Things Every Career Needs
During the interview, Baktash explained that most careers are built around three major factors:
- Money
- Enjoyment
- Learning and added value
All three matter.
People need financial stability.
People want meaningful work.
People want growth.
But according to him, students often make the mistake of focusing too heavily on salary too early in their careers.
And that can slow long-term progress significantly.
Why Early Career Years Matter So Much
One of the strongest points from the interview was this:
The first five to seven years of your career are still an extension of university.
That idea changes everything.
According to Baktash, those early years are when students build:
- Professional foundations
- Technical depth
- Industry understanding
- Problem-solving ability
- Long-term career leverage
And if students optimize only for short-term money during that stage, they may sacrifice the learning opportunities that create bigger advantages later.
Real-World Example
Imagine two graduates entering the workforce.
Student A
- Chooses the highest-paying job immediately
- Performs repetitive work with little learning
- Gains minimal growth over time
Student B
- Chooses a role with strong mentorship and learning opportunities
- Develops technical and professional skills
- Gains deeper industry experience over time
At first, Student A may earn more.
But after several years, Student B often becomes far more valuable professionally because they invested early in growth instead of immediate comfort.
That's exactly the long-term mindset Baktash was describing.
Why Students Often Get Misled
A lot of career advice online focuses heavily on:
- Salary comparisons
- Luxury lifestyles
- Fast success
- "Highest paying jobs"
And according to Baktash, students sometimes compare themselves to incomplete stories from friends, social media, or online influencers without understanding the full context.
For example:
- Temporary high-paying jobs may have poor long-term stability
- Some positions pay more because growth opportunities are limited
- Some environments become "career dead ends"
That's why students need to evaluate opportunities beyond salary alone.
What Students Should Look For Instead
According to Baktash, students should ask:
- Will I learn here?
- Will I grow here?
- Will this environment make me stronger long-term?
- Am I building valuable skills?
Especially early in a career, learning compounds.
The students who grow the fastest early often create:
- Better opportunities
- Higher salaries later
- Stronger professional networks
- More career flexibility
That's why growth becomes such an important investment.
Where Passion Fits Into This
Baktash also made an important distinction:
students should not work in environments they truly hate.
Because long-term success becomes very difficult when:
- Motivation disappears
- Learning stops
- Work becomes emotionally draining
The goal is not choosing between passion and practicality.
The goal is finding environments where:
- You can grow
- You can learn
- You can sustain effort long-term
That balance matters much more than students realize.
The Bigger Lesson
Early career decisions should not only be based on:
- Money
- Prestige
- Titles
According to Baktash, students should think about long-term value creation.
Because careers are not built in months.
They are built through years of accumulated learning, adaptability, and growth.
And the students who understand that early often gain a massive long-term advantage.
Credit & Interview Source
This article is based on insights shared during our interview with Baktash Hamzehloo, where he discussed engineering careers, student growth, career decision-making, and how young professionals should think about money, learning, and long-term success.
Frequently asked questions
- What should students know about career question almost every student asks?
- Baktash Hamzehloo ties “The Career Question Almost Every Student Asks” to a broader lesson: why early-career growth often beats chasing salary first—and how students should balance money, passion, and long-term learning.
- What should students know about three things every career needs?
- In “Money, Passion, or Growth? What Students Should Prioritize Early,” The Three Things Every Career Needs highlights why why early-career growth often beats chasing salary first—and how students should balance money, passion, and long-term learning.
- Why Early Career Years Matter So Much?
- Students exploring why early career years matter so much should remember: why early-career growth often beats chasing salary first—and how students should balance money, passion, and long-term learning.