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Comment by r0rbit | Hacker News Reader

I think what seems to be the hardest part is to not only find the time but combat the imposter syndrome of not producing research within an academic context/with supervision. Also, reduced access to scientific databases is a bit of a turndown, we used to get it at uni.

Not all that interested in publishing in academic journals persé.

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Writing scientific papers for decent journals is time-consuming. You need to write your findings in the context of the scientific discipline, previous results, be formal in the context of the discipline, write decently well and, most of all, have novel and interesting results to show.

As for databased or access to journals, luckily there is SciHub.

Access to journals is a good point. I’ve had some access through jobs, and some access through alumni accounts. You might check with your alma mater whether you have alumni access to their databases. Sometimes a proxy into the school’s network is sufficient, via an account into your old department. I would also sometimes ask academic friends to grab copies of papers I needed.

You are you. You are not the name of the organization where you spend your time. If your research is good, it's good whether or not you did it in an academic setting.

The supervision might actually matter. But you might be able to get some. Pick the best of your former professors. Drop them an email, giving your approach. Ask if they see any red flags. If they say yes, listen.

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