Ask HN: I'm interested in so many disciplines, but what can I do with that?

I recommend writing too. It clarifies your thoughts, bringing you closer to the insight you want.

Seconded. As you grow older you may find that you actually did lift some of the subjects to a "marketable level". For example, I'm now 40, studied molecular biology but my dedication to my home server, HN and tech podcasts is now paying dividends because I can talk with the big boys about infra-as-code, higher level system architecture and software development. This is really nice as the healthcare company I work for is transforming more towards IT and away from the lab. It also helps me in talking to oncology professionals about their IT woes.

But my formal education always payed the bills and I did enjoy it (although I really wanted to move away from the lab and for as long as I can remember I enjoyed the data analysis parts more than the cell-culture/lab parts. I can still remember starting where I work now, 12 years ago, and saying: I want to get out of the lab! And my manager back then replying: But you have been educated and hired to be in the lab, start there, we'll see where it goes...).

Yes I like philosophy, economics, politics and math too, but I'll leave that for birthdays and late nights at conferences, keep it at the cocktail level so to speak (and watch some Stand-up Maths and 3Blue1Brown, read some Yuval Noah Harari).

One has to specialize in some things to make money. I always tell my kids: You need to learn a trick that your are better at than others so someone will pay you to do it. Then you can pay others to do things you find boring or difficult. Of course you want to focus on something you find fun. If they get older I'd recommend them to keep consciously thinking about what gives them energy and what drains it. It's what my career coaches always told me (I was fortunate enough to work at a company that supplied coaches to everyone). Is it really more complex than that?

My tip would be to look for a company where you get the opportunity to "transform" (a large company's research department for example?), and then to sometimes just give it a year when you don't like your current position. Talk to people, go to conferences, try to learn if there is work out there with the right balance of old vs new for you.

This is something I’ve thought a lot about, and I think the easiest answer is to get yourself a job in a field that necessarily requires a broad knowledge base, even if doesn’t seem like a “Renaissance man” sort of industry.

I don’t work in the shipping industry, but I’ve always had the impression that it’s one of these fields. You need to understand global geography and shipping lanes, which leads you to understanding the history of these regions, which leads you to researching their religions and cultures, their currencies, their artworks, their relations with other states, and so on. I imagine that a high level executive in the shipping industry needs to understand most of these things at some level.

Other potential industries might be the art market, food and things like coffee, and basically anything that cannot be accomplished by focusing exclusively on a tiny problem.

I don't have anything to add to finding a solution to your problem, but I think you're not alone and a lot of people have this exact same feeling. Relevant XKCD https://xkcd.com/863/

This is a good problem to have. Having a curious mind and taking pleasure in learning and growing, for me at least, is the highest pleasure. I'm into computer science, piano, European history, politics, Buddhism and a few other things. I get frustrated that there aren't enough hours in the day and it can feel a bit overwhelming. I also fear becoming a jack of all trades. I'd rather be masterful in one or two areas and proficient in a few more.

My solution to this is to prioritise. Comp Sci, as well as being fascinating to me, is related to my job and is my main marketable skillset so that takes precedence. Music is an important part of relaxing and recreation so that also ranks highly. On the other hand, politics and history, whilst being deeply important to me, are less so. They don't pay the bills and they don't maintain my wellbeing to the same extent. I invest less in these therefore.

So the tldr is that it's great that you like so many things, it's a great gift, but you should learn to prioritise in case you spread yourself too thin. Find a prioritisation metric that makes sense to you. Where does meaning / ability and fulfilment intersect with these areas for example?