I was on a tennis scholarship and played a season of pro tournaments until it was apparent that tennis was not my future. Joined IBM upon graduation. Why is this not plausible?
Because your probably the only person in history to have played professional tennis and worked at IBM research? I await your counterexample to disprove this reasoning. :)
Seriously, I think the trolling comment was sarcasism, and your post was actually good advice for the OP.
I really dislike this sort of comments and thinking. It perpetuates the idea that people who want to work in tech must always be focussed on tech and cannot diverge from that. Not all people want to be that one-dimensional.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETC82KEplac
Apologies, but I did just find it funny. You can't help being good at things and nice enough to post encouraging replies!
My favourite saying to my kids (and one that the OP should heed) is: "It's Ok to be afraid, but you can't let being afraid stop you". And I wish that someone had told me that when I was young because it's absolutely true; you will be afraid, count on it, and that's fine but you need to plow through it. The OP seems very afraid and he is allowing this to debilitate him and his life.
Agree on your advice to your kids. Was telling mine something similar over dinner tonight, though my eldest is only 7.
I think the biggest liberation is not keeping up with others. But it's also generational as well. This guy is likely under 40, has a big mortgage etc. The game has (sadly) changed now in that failure is not an option due to crippling debt. At 56 you won't have had to face the same challenges the next generation face. It truly does suck. I think this is crippling productivity as people just cannot take risks as easily any more unless they are fresh out of school.
Sigh! Anyhow have a good weekend and I agree we should not let the above stop us no matter how tough it gets!
Raw intelligence at the IBM research is exceedingly rare. Raw athleticism to the point of professional tennis is exceedingly rare. The work ethic and dedication to accomplish either is exceedingly rare.
You're a genuinely accomplished person who has lived up to your potential in two disparate fields. This is so rare.