- #1
reenmachine
Gold Member
- 514
- 8
I'm 26 years old , been thinking about going back to school for the last 2 years to pursue a career in mathematics.
Never went to college , stopped my education at the end of high school where I had multiple personal problems that are now more or less solved.Always been strong at math since I was a kid , but also understand I never got tested with the real stuff
My question is , is it too late to try to pursue a serious career in math (research).Probably pure math.I'll have to do my Bach , master and Ph.D from scratch.It's been a while since I went to high school but I still have a total mastery of the high school math and some more so I won't have to re-learn everything.
Of course the number one reason why I'm asking is the notorious ''math is a young man's game'' mentality.
I'm not saying I want to win a fields medal , but I don't want to be a 4th rate mathematician either.Is it possible to become a pretty strong mathematician if you start so late (and by pretty strong I don't mean ''one of the best'' but a solid and respected mathematician) ?
Additionnal info:I'm not that interested in money , I know what it's like to be poor so I'm not scared about the financial side of this decision.My interest in math is not new and I'm an introverted kind of guy who can get rather obsessive (but can still enjoy life once in a while and forget about the serious stuff , I find that it actually helps once you get back to it).This isn't an idea that occurred to me out of the blue by watching a movie about a mathematician or that kind of none-sense that won't last.Just thought you guys should know before answering me.
thanks
cheers!
Never went to college , stopped my education at the end of high school where I had multiple personal problems that are now more or less solved.Always been strong at math since I was a kid , but also understand I never got tested with the real stuff
My question is , is it too late to try to pursue a serious career in math (research).Probably pure math.I'll have to do my Bach , master and Ph.D from scratch.It's been a while since I went to high school but I still have a total mastery of the high school math and some more so I won't have to re-learn everything.
Of course the number one reason why I'm asking is the notorious ''math is a young man's game'' mentality.
I'm not saying I want to win a fields medal , but I don't want to be a 4th rate mathematician either.Is it possible to become a pretty strong mathematician if you start so late (and by pretty strong I don't mean ''one of the best'' but a solid and respected mathematician) ?
Additionnal info:I'm not that interested in money , I know what it's like to be poor so I'm not scared about the financial side of this decision.My interest in math is not new and I'm an introverted kind of guy who can get rather obsessive (but can still enjoy life once in a while and forget about the serious stuff , I find that it actually helps once you get back to it).This isn't an idea that occurred to me out of the blue by watching a movie about a mathematician or that kind of none-sense that won't last.Just thought you guys should know before answering me.
thanks
cheers!