This is a fantastic path if you're able to do it. Most people have difficulty with steps #1 and #2 though. I still think the story of D.E. Shaw is pretty amus

This is a fantastic path if you're able to do it. Most people have difficulty with steps #1 and #2 though. I still think the story of D.E. Shaw is pretty amusing. He got denied tenure at Columbia, so he started his own hedge fund, made billions, and then started his own research program doing what he really wanted to do in the first place.