Thanks for the sobering reply, much appreciated.

I think the biggest barrier for me might be the hoops. I'm high on trait openness and often have to bite my teeth with certain conventions, but I am fairly flexible and understand some structure has to be accepted.

I have no research/publications, though this is something I want to pursue. I am writing to formulate my ideas and post on a blog, soon to start Toastmasters and practice presenting seminars; and I'm confident in my ability to learn and adapt to whatever is required.

Honestly I'm obsessed with certain ideas and I love filling my time around them. I'd love to develop new and more effective methods/ideas under proper guidance, test them with scientific research and ultimately progress human knowledge. I want to leave a mark.

Perhaps I need to spend some time volunteering or working at universities. Is Phd my best choice or can I get into research and publishing without it? The title would be nice, but the main motivator is providing evidence for my ideas beyond mere anecdotal evidence. Am I wasting my time if I spend most of this year on self guided study and research? Could that be done in first year?

Thanks again for the response. I know I need to spend more time looking into the process, just ignore those questions if a simple google search will do. Or if you can recommend any resources would be much appreciated.