[rogerharris]

Hah and so you think you are mature at 25-30. I had a non standard life, businessman, then a 90’s hippie, studio engineer, numerous trails of too wide a variety of work, degrees, and vocational technical qualifications etc to list. Basically I am a creative and just followed what I liked to do.

Found my calling nearly 15 years ago in neuroscience, and not looked back since.
Written a biophysics book, been sponsored and employed in research, done high level conferences and publications at the very most technical and complex levels in the field, and that was before i even started to get qualified.

I know pretty much a lot of this field (and this is one varied field), know a lot of people in various levels of the business and not from me hounding them, but through being known (I have an individual reputation), and even many writing to me, so I get consulted. I do reviews of others works. 30 hard neuro publications and articles (lot still in press), many original some groundbreaking (PS don’t ever do anything groundbreaking if you want an easy life). Aggregating all this for PhD by public works at 40+.

So what does such a maverick do ? I cant fit in a traditional track at my age, even with the PhD (not that this even means a lot today). People who run the show may find me interesting, but in the real world, where the jobs are, there are hierarchies that do not take risks, just because some influential neuro people they know who say “oh this guy is interesting”. That might get you a free lunch or a short consultancy perhaps. The neuro business (mostly) wants compliant people that take orders, don’t challenge them too much, and whose minds still have some youth like spongability.

OK not everybody. But you know what I mean (do you ?). What exactly do you oddball and aging lions do ? there must be some of you out there today, or is this an increasingly rare breed in corporate bio-industry ?

[Foghorn Leghorn]

All I gathered from this is that you are a fromer 90s hippie and now some sort of neuroscience 'person' with a PhD. Are you asking what you want to do next, because by the sounds of it you've done it all, barring becoming queen of Denmark. Maybe your next mission should be to neuroscience the **** out of Alex Salmond's head to see what goes on in there. And do Cameron and old Cleggy boy while you're at it cheers.

[jami74]

Write a novel

[rogerharris]

(Original post by jami74)
Write a novel

he he, i thought of that, its been suggested, but reading novels is a dying business. perhaps i might do that for myself sometime before i start forgetting all the crazy stuff thats happened.

[jami74]

Start a business doing one off workshops and short courses for small groups of home educated children.

[IAmTheWumAndOnly]

You haven't achieved much with your life. It seems as if you're trying to boast but quite frankly you've done nothing commendable.

[rogerharris]

(Original post by IAmTheWumAndOnly)
You haven't achieved much with your life. It seems as if you're trying to boast but quite frankly you've done nothing commendable.

HAH ! nice try. we can see all the neg rep you got for this. clearly this is all u log on to do. (hey i even liked your post also)

Well whatever ails you i hope you can find peace within yourself, but the more you log on to do this, the harder it will be for you to find that peace when the opportunity comes.

This type of trolling does not work anymore, almost everybody is used to it, and understands the sad state of the people that commit it. Did you see that BBC investigation into people who troll RIP sites ? When they catch them IRL they are all really fragile people without a lot and have emotional problems. Well thats not a crime, but you know, if you want to get out that situation, and live a life thats not a hell, you require to reverse your outlook.

[rogerharris]

(Original post by jami74)
Start a business doing one off workshops and short courses for small groups of home educated children.

mmm i dont know if you were serious, but that is actually an interesting concept. To show thats its possible to proceed from self education straight to the highest echelons of academia and pick up qualification/experience to suit your direction in a tailored rather then preset manner.

its a fraction of the cost to do this way also, and more enjoyable, barely even feels like work, although it was 18 hour days for me weeks on end sometimes.
Still i have loose end anxiety right now. I never thought i would make it here, but i just cannot compete with 25 year old graduates, and to be honest a lot of the jobs they go for, are not even that appealing to me. All those resources going into labgroup and office politics over a load of tosh. No thanks. There are better things in life than that.

Now I want a nice regular job that pays a small mortgage and no more big challenges. working as en EEG or fMRI operator sounds just great.

[jami74]

(Original post by rogerharris)
mmm i dont know if you were serious, but that is actually an interesting concept. To show thats its possible to proceed from self education straight to the highest echelons of academia and pick up qualification/experience to suit your direction in a tailored rather then preset manner.

Serious. It was this comment

What exactly do you oddball and aging lions do ?

that made me think of it. People who are enthusiastic about a subject and are prepared to share their passion with others without discriminating against age or ability and without trying to make it 'educational' (aka boring) or fit within curriculum boundaries are highly sought after by home and self educators.

[rogerharris]

(Original post by jami74)
Serious. It was this comment
that made me think of it. People who are enthusiastic about a subject and are prepared to share their passion with others without discriminating against age or ability and without trying to make it 'educational' (aka boring) or fit within curriculum boundaries are highly sought after by home and self educators.

interesting

http://www.home-education.org.uk/

well if i get a decent position and more scientists back my work after this PhD, that will be something to look into. right now i left my research position to go back to uni, and my ideas are stil at the "interesting" stage (although thats saying something positive in this no niceties spared business !)

There is a limit to home education, its a fine balance and requires periodic and realistic self appraisal. Its easy to hide lack of self competence in the idea that one is a lone rebel against an irrational system (although thats true from time to time to confuse matters), so i suppose that might be something i could try and get across if i chose to take up your suggestion.

[jami74]

You mis-understood me a bit. I was thinking you could use your creativity to share your passion and enthusiasm in neuroscience and biophysics to groups of interested young people while using your business head to make a salary from it.

[rogerharris]

(Original post by jami74)
You mis-understood me a bit. I was thinking you could use your creativity to share your passion and enthusiasm in neuroscience and biophysics to groups of interested young people while using your business head to make a salary from it.

I wasnt the greatest businessman. I was always having moral dillemas over the ethics and behaviour around money. Sure i could generate money but actually having it was the problem, then dealing with all the people who suddenly all stick to you like you just turned into an electromagnetic for creeps.

Then charging young people to help them with science, which "should" be a higher pursuit they dont have to pay for would not rest easy with me at all. Perhaps if it was part of government funding, then i might as well just be a teacher. mmm perhaps not a bad idea actually ....


BTW cautionary tale for all you out there. In my experience the people who shaft you over the most are those who have more of just about everything. The way the human brain works (its been scientifically proven you know !). And this includes the most caring and medical professions (worse even)

My last employer was a total XXX over money, which is why i left. Fed my all kinds of bullXXX about how the business was to care for people. Having heard all this bull before after 6 months of him trying to convince me i give him a tentative chance (still didnt give up my other job though)

then in reality it soon became clear his aim is to extract £1000 a day to give psychological assesments (of course to the most vulnerable) and at every opportunity he would confabulate stories to find all kinds of means to drive me below minimum wage. I just walked out one day and never went back. Glad I kept my other work.

You know why this guy was so convincing, he was so deluded he believed his own bullXXX. Thats the most dangerous type in my opinion.



OK enough off topic rambling for one day.

[rogerharris]

actually i dont know if its been done on this forum, but we need a thread dedicated to how people FXXK each other over in the real world.

The tricks are in a constant state of evolution and gnerating these is part of how a great bulk of the people running your employment take their pleasure in life.

Problem is how to do that without giving students (who have similiar ambitions) ideas !

[Camss]

Go become a secondary schoolteacher like you suggested (preferably a good one rather than a comprehensive), you can do that for the next 20-30 years, it'll pay your small mortgage, won't be too taxing, you'll have all the knowledge you need, shouldn't be too hard to get into (may even be able to get sponsored), fits the bill perfectly if you ask me. Or uni lecturer?

[Simplicity]

(Original post by rogerharris)
I wasnt the greatest businessman. I was always having moral dillemas over the ethics and behaviour around money. Sure i could generate money but actually having it was the problem, then dealing with all the people who suddenly all stick to you like you just turned into an electromagnetic for creeps.

Then charging young people to help them with science, which "should" be a higher pursuit they dont have to pay for would not rest easy with me at all. Perhaps if it was part of government funding, then i might as well just be a teacher. mmm perhaps not a bad idea actually ....


BTW cautionary tale for all you out there. In my experience the people who shaft you over the most are those who have more of just about everything. The way the human brain works (its been scientifically proven you know !). And this includes the most caring and medical professions (worse even)

My last employer was a total XXX over money, which is why i left. Fed my all kinds of bullXXX about how the business was to care for people. Having heard all this bull before after 6 months of him trying to convince me i give him a tentative chance (still didnt give up my other job though)

then in reality it soon became clear his aim is to extract £1000 a day to give psychological assesments (of course to the most vulnerable) and at every opportunity he would confabulate stories to find all kinds of means to drive me below minimum wage. I just walked out one day and never went back. Glad I kept my other work.

You know why this guy was so convincing, he was so deluded he believed his own bullXXX. Thats the most dangerous type in my opinion.



OK enough off topic rambling for one day.

I hope to god you are trolling. You do know you sound pathetic. Also, you are 40 and your boss is trying to pay you minimum wage. Get a spine please.

I didn't know a neuroscientist could be this stupid.

[cliffg]

(Original post by rogerharris)
You know why this guy was so convincing, he was so deluded he believed his own bullXXX. Thats the most dangerous type in my opinion.

I think that line might sum up this thread !

[ashtoreth]

(Original post by cliffg)
I think that line might sum up this thread !

i would have to agree with u.

beautifully spotted and well said.

[rogerharris]

(Original post by Simplicity)
I hope to god you are trolling. You do know you sound pathetic. Also, you are 40 and your boss is trying to pay you minimum wage. Get a spine please.

I didn't know a neuroscientist could be this stupid.

i would say it is you who are stupid. you havent even noticed all those red bars above your name are the mark this forum and its members put upon you, when it is YOU who are trolling.

[rogerharris]

(Original post by Simplicity)
I hope to god you are trolling. You do know you sound pathetic. Also, you are 40 and your boss is trying to pay you minimum wage. Get a spine please.

I didn't know a neuroscientist could be this stupid.

read the thread idiot, he was trying to pay under minimum.

I calculated in the end with all his tricks it would have ended up quarter of minimum.

No point in answering these trolls anyway they just dump their one liners and run of to some other thread to try and get an easy kick on somebody.

smarmy kids of the internet generation, hiding behind their computers and phones. They NEVER say these things In real life. that is part of the problem today. Perhaps this is something else educators should address.