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Most folks in highly technical fields: Math, Physics, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, etc. find themselves, like me, faced with a choice early on.

Well, you could create "minimums monestaries" for those interested in Math and Statistics. Free food, shelter, clothing, and medical care for those interested in the mostly mental exercises. It's much harder to do Physics, Biology, and Chemistry research because you need labs and equipment. That takes grant money or corporate sponsorship.