In science, 1905 is known as the annus mirabilis, or “miracle year,” the period when Albert Einstein, at the age of 26, published several discoveries that changed physics forever. By the summer of that year he’d explained Brownian motion, discovered the photoelectric effect (for which he won a Nobel Prize), and developed the theory of special relativity; then, before the year ended, he wrote the world’s most famous equation: E = mc².
Research: Career Hot Streaks Can Happen at Any Age
Your most productive years aren’t necessarily in your thirties and forties.
October 05, 2018
Summary.
The conventional view is that an individual’s best work will likely happen in their 30s or 40s, when they have a solid base of experience, along with the energy and enthusiasm to sustain high productivity; once we pass the mid-career point, hopes for breakthroughs start to dim. Our findings indicate that the hot streak may emerge with any work you put out, resulting in a near-term cluster of relative successes. Your big break, it appears, may arrive at any time in your career.