Young Sheldon highlights a potential problem for Sheldon winning the Nobel Prize in Physics. After his and Amy's wedding in The Big Bang Theory, the couple's personal relationship became a professional one when they started working on what would be their acclaimed Super Asymmetry paper. Much of the long-running CBS sitcom's final season was devoted to this narrative with the show fulfilling all its set-up by revealing that the Coopers indeed won the prestigious award.
Sheldon has always had his eye on winning the Nobel Prize in Physics; he regularly mentioned it in The Big Bang Theory as an aspiration. Meanwhile, as Young Sheldon tackled his much younger years before moving to Pasadena, the prequel doubled down on this idea, revealing that even when he was still living with his family in Texas, it was always a dream of mine. So when he finally won the award shortly after he got married, it was such a massive moment for him. His friends knew this too that despite his self-centeredness during their trip to Stockholm for the ceremony, they stuck around to celebrate his milestone.
Young Sheldon Foreshadows Sheldon & Amy's Relationship In Big Bang Theory
That said, Sheldon winning the Nobel Prize in Physics can also have its drawbacks, one of which was emphasized in Young Sheldon season 4, episode 17 titled "A Black Hole." In the outing, Dr. Sturgis returned to Medford after he lost his dream job at the supercollider in Waxahachie, Texas. Despite his academic and intellectual qualifications, he opted to work at the local grocery store as a bagger. This has baffled everyone in the Cooper family, most especially Meemaw. When pressed about the matter, Dr. Sturgis explained that he has totally lost his drive to pursue science after getting fired from his dream job. Through the years, the sitcom has highlighted the parallels between him and Sheldon, given this, it's not outside the realm of possibility that just like his first mentor, the socially inept genius suddenly becomes disinterested in science after winning the Nobel.
Admittedly, their situations are different; Dr. Sturgis was fired from his job at the supercollider after he became too honest about what could happen if something in the facility goes awry. Meanwhile, Sheldon achieved his life-long dream with Amy by his side. Based on Young Sheldon's season 4 premiere, the couple is still in love with each other years after they won their Nobel Prize in Physics. That said, fulfilling his life-long at a relatively young age could leave Sheldon unsatisfied with his future endeavors. Being awarded the accolade is the highest form of honor that he can receive in his field and unless he pulls something extraordinary, it could leave him unsatisfied.
It's also worth noting that despite his cocky demeanor, Sheldon also has the tendency to doubt himself. There were a lot of elements that factored into him and Amy working on Super Asymmetry. Throughout The Big Bang Theory, he had experienced working on dead-end and/or uninteresting projects that resulted in him being disappointed or lost. Hopefully, Sheldon learned a thing or two about Dr. Sturgis' experience in Young Sheldon so he doesn't suffer the same experience in his older years.