Buying stuff to show off, that seems a misguided motivation, but what to buy and what you don't need, for someone lacking experience, it's also part of the learning curve. Buying things, even if you don't need them, it teaches you. Talking to experienced people might have it's usefulness in that regard, someone in the know advising that something isn't needed, and seeking advise from elders about any aspect of work I think is a good idea. How should one think of work? Young people don't take advantage of seeking advice enough, and it's a short time in life when being young is when folks will be open to giving it to them. It's some golden opportunity.
Reminds me of some art collectors saying that at first when they were buying art, they didn't at all know what they were looking at, but they liked the idea, so not much worth in the early things. Refinement and vision came with mistakes, so the earlier purchases weren't a waste of money.