If I were a rich man

Sun, 23 Apr 2006 10:00:02 +0100

I was talking to Graham recently about the future and I think he was a little surprised that I don't have any grand ambitions or plans for where I want to be in twenty years. I wonder if this is related to my poor visual imagination (which has been another interesting topic of conversation for us).

Do any other non-visualizers find themselves a little bit adrift? Maybe it's just a philosophical thing. I tend to be more concerned about the now than about the future (except in a slightly angsty sense).

In 2004 I started a Posgraduate Certificate in Psychology course and passed it. I had planned to go on and do the Diploma course last year but with money worries pressing and difficulties with focus I decided to postpone. I'm still considering completing the Diploma via the Open University although I may be leaving it late to do that this year.

So anyway I was thinking about what I like doing and one consistent answer is "learning new things" and, especially, branching into new territory and trying to mix it together with the old.

When I think about my strengths I consider myself a little of the jack of all trades, master of none. I am a programmer that does marketing. I'm not a great programmer and I'm not that great at marketing either but somewhere in the fusion of technology, strategy, and marketing I seem to have come up with something.

If were rich today I would follow my nose. That would lead me back to University to finish my psychology course and probably to a cognitive science/artificial intelligence M.Sc. I would also try to go to conferences on genetic programming, cognitive science, and social software & systems.

Where might all this lead me? I have next to no idea. But I think it would be a fascinating journey.

Curiouser and Curiouser! on cognitive-science

If I were a rich man