My parents worked pretty relentlessly to make opportunities for me. My mom was a professional librarian (still works a couple days a week), so we always had tons of books around. My dad made sure there were computers around - we built our first 8-bit kit when I was 6. Also he reached out to a lot of people who could be resources, for example when Niklaus Wirth gave a talk on Oberon at a University Maryland, he drove me out to see that.
I think (2) is a good question, but a huge one, I'm not sure what to say within a HN comment. I know it's a cliche, but certainly that being smart isn't everything, there's a lot more to life. The game-like recognition of academic credentials and so on is not as meaningful in the real world as it seems "in the bubble."
That said, what I think is a common thread of prodigies is a hunger and thirst for knowledge, to learn things. I carry that with me today, and think it's something to be nourished.
I think (2) is a good question, but a huge one, I'm not sure what to say within a HN comment. I know it's a cliche, but certainly that being smart isn't everything, there's a lot more to life. The game-like recognition of academic credentials and so on is not as meaningful in the real world as it seems "in the bubble."
That said, what I think is a common thread of prodigies is a hunger and thirst for knowledge, to learn things. I carry that with me today, and think it's something to be nourished.