I didn't know this was a job.

Nate Silver-Led Statistics 

Nate Silver was right. The Gallup Poll was wrong. Silver, the computer expert who gave Obama a 90 percent chance of winning re-election, predicted on his ...

 

When I was in school we had to take a test that rated us with everyone in the USA in our grade and I scored in the 99 percentile in math.  I had the highest score in my high school on the math section of the SAT (college board), and I was told by the guidance counselor (based on these and other tests) that I should go into some occupation that has to do with math. 

 

The trouble was, no one told me what any of those jobs were.  I didn't know one could be a statistician.  When I was thirteen, I once calculated  (in my head when I was supposed to be sleeping)

some statistics about Willie Mays, a star baseball player for the San Fransico Giants and my favorite player. 

 

I divided the number of at bats he had from the year before (minus walks) by the number of home runs he had hit and determined the number of home runs per plate appearances.  I then took the number of games he would play and the number of bats he was expected to not be walked and calculatted the number of home runs he would hit the upcoming baseball season.  I also calculated his batting average for the upcoming season as well.  I wrote my calculations down, put them in an envelope, sealed it and then put it away for future reference. 

 

I calculated his batting average exactly and missed his home run toal by one. 

 

I'm not saying I would have ever become as famous as Nate Silver.  All I'm saying is that i just didn't know one could make a living playing with facts and figures like that.  I never saw an ad for a statistician in the paper nor met anyone who did that for a living. 

 

It seems sometimes that people who are smart in one area are dumb in others.  That's why even being a Mensa member does not mean one will make a good living. 

 

Regrets?  Yea I had a few.  But I did it my way.

 

Yes, I did and screwed it up too.    It wasn't until I decided to let go and give up control of my life and let God lead awhile that things got better for me.  No, I didn't make any more money, but life is so much better now than before.  Money can never buy what i have received by following Jesus.