Do you feel stuck in your research field?

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Many researchers, scholars, and professors express feelings of being stuck in their chosen fields, often contemplating whether it's too late to switch or regretting their initial choices. This sentiment is echoed in the industry, where individuals may also feel dissatisfied with their career paths. A common theme is the realization that a single lifetime is insufficient to explore all interests, particularly in complex fields like mathematics. Some individuals have successfully transitioned to new careers through self-study, despite initial regrets about their university choices. The desire for immortality or reincarnation as a means to explore more knowledge is also mentioned, highlighting a longing for greater opportunities to learn and grow.
jamalkoiyess
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Does any researcher/scholar/professor here ever feel stuck with the field they have chosen to pursue? Do you ever feel it's too late to switch or regret not choosing something else while studying?
 
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YES.

The situation like that can be just as bad in industry.
 
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No, not really, but I do regret that one life time is not enough to learn everything I find interesting, even when just considering mathematics, let alone everything else. So, I hope for immortality (without dementia) or reincarnation (into a reasonably intelligent life form).
 
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I couldn't find a job I enjoy with what I graduated, so I self studied and made a successful career change with some luck. I do wish I chose something different in University but there was no way to know.
 
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"In 2013, after a series of hospitalizations due to magnets, New Zealand government officials permanently banned the sale of those made from neodymium-iron-boron (NIB)." https://www.sciencealert.com/new-zealand-teen-loses-part-of-his-bowel-after-swallowing-nearly-200-magnets "A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand has had part of his bowel surgically removed after he ingested nearly 200 high-powered magnets. (2025)" OK, this teen was a fool, but it is not always a teen, it is not always...
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Chen-Ning ( photo from http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/~yang/ ) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/science/chen-ning-yang-dead.html https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxrzzk02plo https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/press/mourning-professor-yang-chen-ning/ https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/physics/about/awards_and_prizes/_nobel_and_breakthrough_prizes/_profiles/yangc https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/physics/people/_profiles/yangc...

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