No sincere effort is ever wasted. I read that someplace. It might have been a fortune cookie. But it makes sense. So here are some of the areas I've put in sincere effort, that I no longer actively pursue becasue it became clear that my path lead in another direction. I cherish the experiences I had and the friends I made. But yes, my path to this point has meandered a bit.

I was a computer science major / math minor in college. 

I interned with the FBI. Twice.

I was a theatrical stage manager for 15 years.

I processed benefits paperwork for a human resources outsourcer.

I went back to college and studied audio production.

I worked for a really big video game company in their video lab and creative digital asset management department.