If money is a byproduct, then is status the goal?

I've grown up being told that whatever I do in life, money should never be my goal. Instead, it should be a byproduct of my achievements.

I do realise that this instruction can only come from a place of privilege. A place of wants, not needs. I've got a roof over my head, enough food to eat, and a secure family that surrounds me. I can afford to focus on things other than money.

However, due my current obsession with understanding status and its role in society, I've started to wonder – if money should be the byproduct of my achievements, how would I define these 'achievements'? And (surprise, surprise) I've reached the conclusion that 'achievements' are the trophies we get for winning status games. When we get them, even if they were privately awarded, we're wired to want to share them. It's why LinkedIn is so cringe.

This conclusion resonates with a hypothesis I've been testing lately:
That as we move from a world of needs to a world of wants, we overvalue status and undervalue intrinsic pleasure.