I've been diving into the lives of Von Neumann, Shannon, and Dirac, and they all have a lot in common when it comes to research and academia: they went to university, got great exposure to the cutting-edge stuff in their fields, and built a ton of connections. Even though I have a degree, I now think academia might be the only real way to do meaningful research.
I got into this because I wanted to "do research," but the strict formats, all the requirements before you can publish, the references you have to use, the nitty-gritty of writing essays, and the conditions that seem to be part of the status quo and hidden secrets between universities make it really tough for an outsider.
What do you think? I'm asking because I'm skimming through some ideas that I think could make a good paper or article, but the whole process seems so closed off that I can't see myself succeeding.
P.S.: I know R&D departments also *do research*, but they seem just as closed off, if not more, than universities.
I got into this because I wanted to "do research," but the strict formats, all the requirements before you can publish, the references you have to use, the nitty-gritty of writing essays, and the conditions that seem to be part of the status quo and hidden secrets between universities make it really tough for an outsider.
What do you think? I'm asking because I'm skimming through some ideas that I think could make a good paper or article, but the whole process seems so closed off that I can't see myself succeeding.
P.S.: I know R&D departments also *do research*, but they seem just as closed off, if not more, than universities.