I just read this yesterday in Conversations with Walter Murch, a well-known film editor. Not exactly the same, but I do get the sense that Tao still feels the same way about math: As I've gone through life, I've found that your chances for happiness are increased if you wind up doing something that is a reflection of what you loved most when you were somewhere between nine and eleven years old. Interviewer: Yes—somet…
> when you were somewhere between nine and eleven years old. As endearing as it sounds, that's pure selection bias on Walter's end rather than something even remotely common. Clearly there are cases of this sort, like arts and other creative tangents, but on average it's a result of a discovery process much later in life.
And so the thing you were interested in at that age is probably similar to what you’ll be interested in now, if you remove social and financial expectations.