>someone reasonably talented with decent math fundamentals can catch up with the state of the art in 6-12 months. Being able to parrot what is known, is far fa

>someone reasonably talented with decent math fundamentals can catch up with the state of the art in 6-12 months. Being able to parrot what is known, is far far far different from being able to ask what comes next. I am talking about the training it takes to develop a critical and creative mind that can ask and answer novel questions.