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Thinking for a Living

Abu Muqawama – AKA Andrew Exum of the Center for New American Security – has the inside scoop on the Pee Haitch Dee track and the Washington Beltway think tank market.

Interesting reading.

I satisfy myself with the notion that, having carelessly spent my youth flying fighters, I have every intention of spending my waning years flying fighters.

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17 comments to Thinking for a Living

  • Marine6

    One can only ask, what are you going to do when you grow up?

  • growing up leads to growing old, and then to dying,
    and dying to me doesn’t sound like all that much fun.

    JM

  • G-man

    Just make sure that your adversary contract doesn’t get flushed when the DoD gets whacked by an additional 800 billion over the next 10.

  • Idaho Joe

    A little off the PhD topic, but I have been sending my daughter posts on The Heritage Foundation and The Center for New American Security websites. I’d say things like, “Look at this, this woman is writing a paper on the future of the Navy, or Foreign Relations in the Middle East. You could do that.” After several of these posts I got back an e-mail saying, “Doing a lot of research and writing a paper for a living? Sounds like High School English class. Uggh, I don’t think so.”

    Guess I got put in my place.

    Speaking of advanced degrees, I was looking at the credentials of the Superintendent of the Boise School District. His Bachelor’s degree is in History and Elementary Education, and his PhD is in Education. But that’s not what caught my eye. He got his Masters Degree in “Reading.” Who knew there was such a thing. I’m a darn good reader. I could do that.

    • LittleRed1

      If it is history, then yup, a PhD is the world’s longest research paper and your entire four-to-nine years of work boils down to a three hour oral exam over that monster. BTDT. In the sciences you actually get to play with chemicals and rocks and stuff. Poli Sci is all statistics these days and a relative of mine got a doctorate in music by giving a lecture recital and writing a twenty-page report. And taking a LOT of classes and teaching and giving a LOT of recitals. Don’t get me started on the Doctor of Ed degrees . . .

      Rule of thumb – if you don’t love, really love, research and writing and you don’t absolutely have to have the degree, don’t get a PhD.

  • Busbob

    Lex, you can keep us all posted on the theory: “Age and cunning will beat youth and brashness in the fighter world.”
    Heck, you might use that for a Piled Higher and Deeper thesis.

  • Quartermaster

    We Ijuneers have to think for a living. It ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. I’d rather fritter my life away like Lex.

  • yaJames

    Lex, can you still see out over the top of your boots without standing tippy-toe?

  • chunk

    “I satisfy myself with the notion that, having carelessly spent my youth flying fighters, I have every intention of spending my waning years flying fighters.”

    Here, Here! Great line…

  • 11B40

    Greetings:

    I spent much of my work-life in the printing industry. One day, a gentleman brought in a business card that he wanted us to print. The interesting part was that his name was followed by “P.H.D.” without the quotation marks. It was my initiation to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

    • MaxDamage

      One of the other IT geeks I know, who’s job is to mainly get certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and others so the company can save all sorts of money having him do the service in-house, passed me a new business card.

      Of course, after MCSE and CCNE and yadda yadda yadda was HMFWIC. He was grinning like a cheshire cat, having gotten that past the Powers That Be.

      In a previous job where there was no room for promotion and really no budget for raises, given we were all of seven employees, I was once given the title of “Senior Network Engineer, Protector of the Packets and Defender of the Realm” as a job title.

      I’ve often wished I’d had a coat-of-arms made up and placed on my office door for that.

      – Max

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