Also, I don't feel like I'm making a difference, or ever will. Being in the corporate world is generally like being a small replaceable cog in a giant contraption which will move forward with or without you.
This is a specific issue which I often wonder about, as I know one brilliant mathematician of my vintage who held a junior position in maths academia for a number of years, but wound up working for a top corporate finance firm, as well as a recent Cambridge Uni Honours maths graduate who has just started at a similar organisation. The money and lifestyle would be very agreeable to many, but I know my son would not find these particularly rewarding.
I have often wondered whether there may be opportunities for brilliant data analysts with strong mathematical and programming skills to get involved in projects such as climate change modelling which may, at this time, offer poor or no remuneration but would provide the opportunity to potentially make a significant difference. International conferences might be a way to make connections with research groups in this field, or any other that you might be interested to explore.
The online community offers an unprecedented opportunity to explore one's gifts and talents. My son, a self taught musician, has a steadily growing following for his Youtube channel with performances of his own music arrangements. Until now, this outlet has given him the greatest joy, although he has just started his first year at Uni, so with advanced maths, adv physics, adv programming and the opportunity to join his uni's team for the annual solar car race, he has many more opportunities to stretch his wings.
I've posted in other threads about my husband, who employs his knowledge and skills to full use in his delivery of health care and enjoys great satisfaction at making the difference on patient outcomes in life or death situations. He plays online chess under an alias and has a single digit ranking for correspondence chess on chess.com. Since it is the slowest/deepest form of chess, he has achieved the highest, statistically valid, accuracy rate of all the players on the server. In real life, he doesn't have the time or inclination to play over the board chess, so his title has only been candidate master for many years, but online, his rating is so high, many grandmasters aren't even able to challenge him because of the ratings difference limit he has set for potential challengers. He has received many private requests through the forum and mentors younger players, which as I've also found, is a very rewarding experience.
By democratic principles, this society has been largely built by people of average intelligence for people of average intelligence and aspiration and self interest have also been dominant driving forces, so the people with power tend to create opportunities for gifted individuals to serve their interests, rather than opportunities to truly develop these gifts in the best interest of the gifted individual and/or society. As gifted individuals, understanding that there are external constraints to developing our gifts to their fullest potential, may help us to appreciate that because there are often hidden challenges to overcome, each accomplished task can be considered an even greater personal achievement.
