You see, worldly success has nothing to do with the intentions. Because if those are your intentions, then you will never gain worldly success. Life is mundane. Life is by its nature perfunctory and Islam is just to harmonize it, put it into perspective, and make its goals dignified goals, instead of low, worldly goals. Now that you are residing in the US you must have had some exposure to the technological hegemony occurring.
Modern technology is just an example of when people's goals are totally distorted.
Modern technology arose out of very strong corporate interests in creating the massification of society where everybody needs a TV or a stereo. This doesn't mean that Islam is against technology. Technology, by its nature, is everything that humans produce. And by our nature we do make things. Islamic technology would be very humane.