"Utility had a strange backseat for me"<p>I kinda took that to the extreme when I was young. Used to loathe anything practical - experiments, programming, applied math etc cuz you know they weren't "pure" and engaging enough. I would also have a hardtime processing/registering something if I'm not able to derive it analytically from first principles. It felt like cheating if I have to use a formula without fully understanding how it was derived haha.
I enjoy his 3B1B videos, but this talk did not resonate with me at all. I was good at math as a kid, but no part of my motivation came from "a desire to be seen as being good at it." If anything, many people looked at me kind of funny for being good at math, so I learned to play down my ability when necessary. Maybe it's just because I grew up in an earlier era, but being nerdy was definitely not cool when I was young.
I opened the video in the background and immediately recognized the person: the author behind the 3Blue1Brown YouTube channel. It has a long series of video regarding various mathematical topics which are rather accessible.<p>My favorite by far is a "proposal" for an alternate notation which makes much more sense and, if adopted, would make mathematics way less intimidating (Triangle of Power (2016), 3Blue1Brown - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sULa9Lc4pck">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sULa9Lc4pck</a> ).<p>I'd give him a Fields medal (or at least an honorary mention of some sort) :-]
I think his key point applies to many other fields. I'll summarize it as "evaluate the work you do, at least in part, on its utility to others".<p>I've heard of devs who were asked to solve simple problems, but went out to choose exotic and complex approaches because that tech is the latest new hotness (though not well tested). I'm sure there are other examples.
On the other hand, seeking prestige at the expense of personal satisfaction, say, by conducting research in an "interesting" or "important" area, may be seen as an altruistic means of furthering progress in that field, and seeking personal fulfillment through the knowledge that one is helping others may be seen as a form of self-indulgence.
I have an incredible feeling that this quite short commencement speech is quite complete in its treatment of the subject of one’s relationship to career choices.
Utility, originality and personal appreciation of tasks are key parameters in order to find a fulfilling job.
Historically, mathematics that initially seemed to have little imaginable practical application later become core to various fields of physics and engineering - non-Euclidean geometry as developed by Gauss-Bolyai-Lobachevsky amd Riemann became the foundation of Einstein's general relativity, number theory became the basis of cryptography (to the likely dismay of GH Hardy), etc.<p>So keep plowing away, mathematicians, at whatever you want to, and don't be surprised if some applied science type picks up the results and uses them for something in the so-called real world (but don't expect many of us to check your proofs, no thanks, taking it all on faith is the norm).
Grant's Patreon, for anyone who feels so inclined:
<a href="https://www.patreon.com/3blue1brown" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.patreon.com/3blue1brown</a>
This reminded me in part of the work of Francis Su on math and the virtues: math and human flourishing <a href="https://youtu.be/FTXhj-puDgw" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://youtu.be/FTXhj-puDgw</a><p>Mathematical practice can be a means of achieving the various virtues, and ‘show up’ (or make us more sensitive to) our vices. Meaning that there is something inherently good in the learning and practice of math, for it to lead to more good and to manifest to us what is bad.
There's a small number of people I know who say in social contexts "I love math" but they come up blank when asked what fields they find beautiful. I find this correlated with narcissism and it makes me believe these people don't actually find math beautiful, but just like the idea of others thinking they do and want to assert that they're the smart person in the group.