Should a non math Olympian even bother getting into mathematical

>>8300573
https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/does-one-have-to-be-a-genius-to-do-maths/

>>8300589
I'd rather take the word of an ordinary human over a demigod.

>>8300573
not with that attitude man
olympians are smart people, but they're people too. work hard an catch up

>>8300599
that said, you need to be a certain kind of person. obsessive, with a great capacity to understand, abstract and work hard.

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>>8300589
>just be yourself bro, it works all the time

fucking idiot

>>8300619
>be yourself
>goes and gets HIV fucked into himself by homos
what did you expect?

>>8300573
Do you mean doing mathematical research for a paycheck? Of course not. But, if you mean doing mathematical research as a hobby, then that depends on whether or not you enjoy it.

>>8300635
>doing mathematical research as a hobby
>with no pay
if you don't think you're good enough to do math research for a living, you definitely shouldn't think you're good enough to do it while juggling another job

>>8300640
Do you just shut your brain off when you get home from work? It's a hobby, not a full-time commitment.

>>8300644
explain
what does doing mathematical research as a hobby mean?
if you mean learning cool math on your own, then maybe. but doing actual fore-front research as a hobby, as an alternative after considering you're not good enough to do it for pay? hard to believe

>>8300646
Perhaps he doesn't want to deal with academia and getting a PhD. There's no pressure when you're doing something as a hobby, so even if your research isn't groundbreaking it's still incredibly fulfilling to make progress.

I would compare it with people who turn gaming into a job vs. people who are good at the game but are content with playing for an hour or two after work. The first group depends on gaming for as a source of income while the second is able to enjoy the game as a break from the mundane. Research is much harder than getting good at a game, but that doesn't mean it can't also be enjoyable.

>>8300646
Doing mathematical research as a hobby means doing mathematical research in your free time, such as after work, or on weekends. Even doing mathematical research for a paycheck boils down for this, because mathematical research positions at universities require that you teach classes, do office hours (1 on 1s with students), and work on grants that the higher ups tell you to do, so fitting in actual research requires that you do things after work, or on the weekend.

Some people think that researcher is a guy that solves problems that others couldn't; in reality though, most 'researchers' usually write papers about some obscure shit, and their results are only 'new' because no one else bothered to think about this particular problem
Look at your lecturers, do you think you can get as good as they are or better? do they have some impressive research achievements?
I think im better than average, i scored 40 on putnam in my first year undergrad but i realised there are tons of people smarter than me and i feel like doing pure maths is a waste of time desu

>>8300961
> and their results are only 'new' because no one else bothered to think about this particular problem

Or learn Russian, and publish results from obscrure Russian journals as your own. Happened a lot.

You don't need to be a genius to have a meaningful contribution. It's just the academic job market is not that great. Chances are you're not going to make it.

And just echoing others, if you couldn't put enough effort to do well in the Olympiads, you're unlikely to do differently in college.