[firstplacelast]

What? I went to an American public high school, there were/are plenty of kids who are very smart. 8% of my graduating class were in the uber-advanced honors math track. This is in a flyover state outside a small city.

I also used to work in science, the reason there's so few chances to make it as a top researcher is that there is little opportunity. Look at jobs for a lot of life science majors after a BS, you will find a ton that is washing glassware in a lab, a complete waste of anyone with half a brain.

There's reasons why there is little opportunity that's not worth exploring here, but suffice to say there are a ton of very smart kids in America that choose other paths. Outside tech and specialized physicians, nerd careers are not lucrative on average. With little opportunity, smart people end up doing banal work. Why do banal work and have a mediocre salary predicated on jumping through higher than average academic hoops? Doesn't add up for most people.

[drivebyhooting]

What’s uber advanced here? I was in the calculus BC class and double majored in math and physics in college.

My performance in the Putnam (I got a 2…) and in grad school are all the proof I need that I couldn’t compete.

BTW I was the best student in my flyover state public school.

[im3w1l]

I'd say the reason there is so little opportunity in science is that science as an instiution is terrible at capturing the value it creates. Thus it instead relies on charity of which there isn't enough.