As a child I was always interest in mathematics. In the eighth grade I was in a math class where mathematics was presented merely as an arbitrary set of rules but as rules derived for a reason. Once mathematics were rationalized I couldn't get enough of it. I would read the next two years books over the summer and skip the courses in high school. The sonification work that I am doing now is deeply connected to turning mathematical functions into sound.
Advice Learn as much math and science as possible.
Don't be afraid of the hard classes. Take on the challenge and learn as much as you can. Personal I spend a lot of time on the Internet in new groups. I am very interested in ideas of Ayn Rand called Physical Objectivism, meaning that the only means we have of knowing reality is reason. The individual is supreme in rights and should not be sacrificed to the state.