[whiterknight]

> I was naive. Knew much more about math and computing than people and personality.

Do you think not learning math would have helped you understand people at a younger age? It sounds like you just needed time to grow socially and in practicality. For most people on this forum, that’s a challenge regardless.

[graycat]

About people in math and the more technical parts of computing, I've guessed that poor socialization has played a role.

But when my career was okay, it was in computing, and I did well enough in the socialization.

Can consider these and those issues, but my experience was that "applied" optimization, as in the book title in the OP here, was too near the empty set.

It isn't just me: My professors in applied math and the ones in optimization were not getting much if anything in consulting. I've been recruited and hired, but never for optimization.

Here I'm trying to do a service to the readers: Be very careful about the idea that there is significant career help via "applied" optimization.