/sci/ - Science & Math

Your age.

>>10649365
120.

>>10649365
If you're starting college after 21 is it too late? Should I just quit if I'm going to be 27 when I graduate?

>>10649441
yes.

>>10649441
Not unusual at all.

>>10649441
It's never too late.
Check em.

>>10649441
From the perspective of someone older than 30 you are indistinguishable from a boy in puberty.

>>10649365
Depends on your initial intelligence potential. Since it decreases over time, the average person will have a lot of trouble learning something completely new past his 50s. Some geniuses can still be productive and learning well at his 80s, but those are rare and probably isn't your case.

>>10649365
There are a lot of levels to this that need to be dealt with individually.

First, the question is whether you are proficient or not in a relatively related field. What is important is that, for instance if you want to do something in STEM, that you have been continually exposed to the kinds of thinking required to do STEM for a long time. If you're good at biology (I mean doing actually biological research, not premed flashcard shit), and you have an openness to actually learn higher levels of math required, you can probably transition into say physics or engineering, given enough dedication. Hell, it doesn't even have to be STEM, just look at Ed Witten.

On the other hand, if you've been flipping burgers for the past half decade and not stimulating or engaging your mind in "scientific thought" when coming home from work, then you've got a hell of a steep mountain to climb. Not impossible, depending on your final goals, but that leads me to my next point:

Do you want to attain proficiency, or mastery/expertise? These are very different things. Most "straight out of undergrad" students in CS or engineering are what I would classify as "proficient". They can do their job, they can probably do it very well and efficiently. And they can pick up new, but related, tasks relatively well. But I wouldn't call them experts, at least not unless they've been in the industry for a *very* long time (and even then, I would consider them experts of how to make their factories/infrastructure/etc. run, not necessarily the technical details or the science/math behind it). Mastery is long and tough to attain -- most would consider a PhD a bare necessity for most fields. I would estimate that, if you aren't an expert in at least one subfield of your field by your early thirties, it's probably too late. Again, that doesn't mean you can't succeed -- most of us aren't, and won't be, true experts in our fields. But you probably won't be making any major strides in your field.

>>10649365
When you lose it.

How old is too old to learn?
>>10649544
Checked. Dubs of truth.

>>10649365
8

>>10649365
>proficient
It's like learning a new language. It takes about 40-70 weeks if you put all you got into it, or a couple of years if youre a lazy cuck, it takes much longer if you haven't hit puberty yet, as there is no base for processing information efficiently.

You can learn it as long as you live.
>implying it will solve your depression

>>10649864
>cs
>eng
not science or math please stop violating board rules

>>10649544
Fucking based

>>10649365
There isn't an age limit retard. I've worked with a PhD student that was 58 and he was by far one of the smartest people I've ever met.

Life happens and sometimes you can only start a study at a late age for whatever reason. The only way you'll stagnate is if you don't do anything for no reason. But remember it's never too late to start.

I was a NEET between the age of 17-24. I went back to university at 24 graduated at 28 and have been working for a whole year now as an electrical engineer for Airbus.

I live together with my girlfriend that I met in university. I learned Japanese and traveled the world within that period of time as well.

I know the majority of people reading here are 18-25 year old shitheads. Maybe some people in their early 30s. Dudes stop being so fucking insecure and go fix your lives. There's no expiration date as long as you get serious and give it a genuine go.

Good luck.

>>10651783
Theoretical computer science is math you fucking imbecile. Just because it is software engineering in whatever garbage school you are, doesn't mean it is not a genuine branch of pure mathematics.

>b but they t-teach how to make websites in my garbage curriculum
End yourself

>>10649365
4

>>10652128
but if it were math it would just be a math major with all of the requirements of a math degree and you’d be under the umbrella of the math department referred to as mathematicians lol

>>10651923
Great advice. Started my journey to medicine at 23. I used to think I was not worthy or capable of college and that I was running out of time. I went to therapy and took some started classes at an online community college and set a big long term goal. Changed my life.

>>10649365
Education is about learning to learn. Assuming you have already developed the intellectual capabilities that allow you to understand new theoretical concepts quickly and use them to derive solutions to problems, you can get into any field in a short time.

For example, I had not ever touched a neural network in my life until a couple of months ago. I took six online courses about neural networks in a month, and right now I am writing a paper about a new kind of net architecture that I came up with while going through said courses, because it turns out it works.

>>10649365

From scratch? I would say around 45. Fluid Intelligence decreases as we age which is why it becomes harder to learn new things but Crystallised Intelligence remains mostly the same which is our ability to use what we already know.

Say you have a strong base of mathematics however. I would think there would be no point in which you could not reach a specialisation in a specific branch of mathematics provided you didn't have a severe condition resulting in cognitive deterioration like Alzheimers or advanced Dementia.

>>10649441

Bro some people are in education into their 30s relax.

>>10649365
after 35 your creativity and wit just dies

>>10649365
You are never 'too old'.
This meme comes from Hardy's book, and Paul Lockhart's book, about Math being a 'young man's game', simply because teenagers and dudes under 30 typically have a lot of spare time. In other words the older you get, the more family and social obligations you have. Once Hardy got his esteemed and prestigious chair at Cambridge or w/e, he had absolutely no time to actually do any math research instead his days consisted of going to social functions and hustling for grant money. This is why people claim you need to be young to do it, however if you have none of these things sapping your time then you have no problems getting into any field.

>>10652307
Will therapy help me? Yesterday I couldn't hold back the demons and had a manic episode where I threw out the window what could be the chance of getting a comfy career in the sport I love. I'm back to square one and I don't know what to do. I've been thinking on nothing but suicide for 20 hours now.

>>10649365
I guess Im about to find out.
>>10649441
I'm going to be 36 when I'm done with dental school, and 40 when I'm done with my specialty.
Had I done things right, I would be practicing by now, it eats at me every single day, but what's done is done, and if you really want it you go after it. The more you second guess and doubt yourself the deeper you dig yourself in the hole.
chase it.

>>10649365
Dead

>>10649520
probably unusual, but it‘s definetly okay if you like what you‘re doing!

>>10649571
op (i think) said they are 27, so barely over the fluid intelligence peak, but at that point motivation is probably the deciding factor

>>10652300
There are different tracks since there’s an industry side to writing code, but at the amazing institutions like Princeton IAS, Berkeley Simons, Rutgers DIMACS, math and CS researchers ARE in the same department, tenured to teach both the math and CS courses (and no, not just the discrete mathematics topics). Look at someone like avi widgerson or farach Colton

Theory CS tracks are often just math degrees. Most double major because it gives them a huge breadth of knowledge

>>10653064
I just read up what mania is, and it's not really what I was feeling at the moment. I wasn't euphoric at all, quite the contrary, I was feeling depressed and humiliated. I just left the club leaving the keys and my equipment behind without saying a word.

>>10652300
Also, undergrads/math bachelor’s holders aren’t mathematicians. PhD holders are, and PhD holders in math and theory CS work on the same problems that would make them deserve the title “mathematician.” Just look at their work in analytic number theory or algebraic geometry/topology

>>10649441
21 isn't old. It's only becoming questionable after 35 I'd say. Assuming 4 years for bachelors + 2 years for masters, being 27 with a masters degree in a good field puts you in a great position. Many people don't start masters until they have worked 1-3 years depending on the field.

>>10649365
Assuming proficient = successful, I'd say that you need to build a foundation in a field before you're 30. Whether that's a degree or work experience, you need to have something before 30.

Some people become successful by going to grad school and building a solid resume. This can be done by 30. Others go straight to industry and work their way up. Some people do this before 30, others in their 30s, and then some can never do it.

Moral of the story is, there are multiple ways to be successful in any field. If you're under 30 then you are more than fine. After 30 you're gonna have to work hard and depending on the path you take it can be very hard.

if you don't have a phd by the time you are 24 you aren't gonna make it. im sorry.

>>10649441
It's not uncommon to see 27 year olds in class etc. That is not to late to get a 8 year degree or something.

If your getting your 4 year it's almost never to late. I had 40 year olds starting new careers in my nursing program.

it's too late bro, it's always too late.

>>10652307
Hey good luck man, medicine is a very demanding but rewarding field

>>10653162
when i was grabbing my mech eng degree, there was this guy in his 40s that was studying there, his company was paying for him to get a mech eng degree, and he was a way better student than 80% of us young fools.

so it's never too late, you have to change how you think about life and aging.

let me help you with this: how do you see yourself when you're 80? hunch-backed and moving slowly, sitting in a recliner? or do you believe you will be doing pull-ups, hiking mountains and continuing to learn?

the way you visualize your 80s determines if it's too late to do something today.

>>10649864
>just look at one of the most intelligent people alive

>>10649902
Technically never. I took a class with a 60+ year old woman whos memory was going. She had to write literally everything down and reread it constantly, but she still got through it

>>10649441
I had a friend who was in the Singaporean Air Force for a few years before starting college. He was 24 as a freshman.

>>10649365
Never. The only thing it takes to become proficient is time and dedication...and also maybe someone willing to take a chance on you.

>>10649365
12

>>10649365
25

>>10651923
We definitely waste too much resources on educating retarded 18-24 year olds who don't even really know what they want.

>>10651923
Did you notice any cognitive decline?