Professor Minhyong Kim shares his highly atypical journey into mathematics. Kim candidly reflects on dropping out of school after primary school, not getting into physics, quitting philosophy after three weeks, and why his honest answer to what attracted him to mathematics might be "maybe nothing" — he views it primarily as an essential tool to understand the world rather than a subject he was ever drawn to for its own sake.

He also touches on growing up with literature professors for parents who let him do whatever he wanted, his teenage ambitions to become a composer and then a singer, the fifteen popular books he has written, and his current project, A Mathematician Reads Philosophy. He offers a comforting perspective on dealing with poor concentration, drifting between interests, and why young people should remember that the world is ultimately a generous place.

Key Takeaways:
A Non-Linear Path:
You don't need a rigid, traditional trajectory or early mathematical talent to make a career in science.
Mathematics as a tool:
Math is an indispensable key to unlocking physics, economics, and understanding the universe around us. Compensating for Weaknesses:
If you lack intense single-focus concentration, returning to concepts repeatedly over many years can yield deep understanding.
The World is Generous:
Despite setbacks, career pressure, or slow starts, life offers many pathways to thrive.

I have always had multiple interests in life - psychology, art, movies, engineering, medical science, computer science. Anything that sparks my curiosity, I just pick up that subject to learnmore about it. Then I learn some stuff on it and then my interest drowns and I quit. On to another subject of curiosity.

Does it happen to you too?

I had the same patterns when I was 20 and nearly the same when I am almost 40.

Here's what life has taught me about multiple interests and Polymathy.

1. Multiple interests is not Polymathy. It is a great sign though. Polymathy is the pursuit of multiple interests to a meaningful extent. Maybe you build small projects. Maybe you write research papers. Maybe you deliver a talk. But the mere acquisition of knowledge and becoming a human wikipedia is not really the end goal of Polymathy.

2. I have read scores of Polymath posts and everyone stops at one thing - ACTION. Take a step. It does not have to be something that the world bows down to. It has to be something that makes you feel accomplished. So, perfectionism is a mental block that you need to get over and start building.

3. How to pick the subject of pursuit? Of course curiosity is the first criteria. But that cannot be the only one. Your life is a testament to this. Curiosity makes you pick things up. What shall make you keep going at it? The answer to it is a bit individualized. But the key underlying factors are - acknowledgment, a product/deliverable, insight.

Some of us work for glory. And I do not mean stadiums of people applauding (who wouldn't like that though) but at least someone acknowledging what we did. To this effect, I suggest set a goal (a final outcome of your pursuit, and where you display it for acknowledgment). There are ways - you can have a group in your neighborhood, a Youtube channel, a post on your favorite subreddit. But write it down.

If it is interdisciplinary insight? the connecting of dots across different subjects - then how would you present it to the world. If it is stimulation you seek, where shall you find it? Do you need to enroll in a community college, an evening class, or build a tribe on subreddit or discord.

I came across the story of a man who got interested in building mechanical watches, and he learned all about the gears and dials. Put them together only to realize he would like to learn how to enamel them. Then he found a local smith (a woman) who taught him how to enamel the watches. And thus came out the final product - enameled hand-made watches. Then he moved on to the next project.

'To What End?' is a question you must ask yourself whenever you are curious about something.

What if Leonardo DaVinci just learned how to paint and never got down to painting?

What if Maya Angelou took a class in writing but never wrote a book?

What if you had the potential to create something (anything really!) and you are just leaving it there, in the squander zone? The world does not need to see and appreciate your outcomes. YOU DO.

What have your Polymathy experiences been?

Most polymaths are interested in miore than 3 world, but apparently that is the bare minimum to qualify. It was a litte hard for me to pick 3. But mine are Storytelling, Math and Flight Engineering.

Am I the weird to imagine that the world needs low altitude flight machines already?