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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;-jeffB, post: 7509173, member: 27832&quot;]I put in a lot of work (although far short of putting my actual life on the line) to get the qualifications I have -- but <i>it didn&#039;t feel much like work at the time</i>, because it was something I found fascinating and intrinsically rewarding. <b>THAT&#039;S</b> the part where I got lucky: having a hobby/interest/whatever that people would pay me to do, and having the gifts of genetics and upbringing to be able to do it well.</p><p><br /></p><p>If I&#039;d been born with a brain that dedicated the usual space to names and faces and social connections, instead of patterns and math and trivia, I&#039;d probably be in a very different place today. If I&#039;d been born to parents who scoffed at &quot;book larnin&#039;&quot;, or who got drunk every night instead of reading to me or helping me with homework, same thing.</p><p><br /></p><p>If I had the drive to work at it during all my waking hours, instead of being distracted by stories or TV or (ahem) present company, I&#039;d probably have achieved more by now -- more &quot;success&quot;, more fame, more power, more money. I <i>might</i> even be <i>happier</i>. But that&#039;s not who I turned out to be, and I don&#039;t especially want to remake myself into that person right now, so here I am -- happy, mostly, and financially comfortable.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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