Lex DeVille's - Journey To Doctor

[Timmy C]

Blimey. I'm worried about writing anything Lex reads now.

What about the exclamation marks? She ends the first two sentences with exclamation marks which seems a bit gushy to me.

Andy, delete all my posts and comments please

 

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[Jrjohnny]

Andy, delete all my posts and comments please

?

Why?

 

[Lex DeVille]

?

Why?

Because I'll read between the lines that @Timmy C hocks crack and crypto to teens under the bleachers behind the elementary school. Also, his OnlyFans isn't doing as well as he lets on.

 

[Jrjohnny]

Because I'll read between the lines that @Timmy C hocks crack and crypto to teens under the bleachers behind the elementary school. Also, his OnlyFans isn't doing as well as he lets on.

Oh yeah he wears a black hoodie! I’ve seen him before!

 

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[Timmy C]

Oh yeah he wears a black hoodie! I’ve seen him before!

The secrets out I guess.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Current Course
I'm surviving advanced qualitative research. It hasn't heavily focused on statistical analysis. Most of the analysis is qualitative (as one might expect). Qualitative research is time-consuming, but some aspects, such as text analysis, are enjoyable.

Going Forward
A month has passed since my last update. I've had time to reflect on my direction. I've decided to continue the PhD program; however, I'm going to adjust course slightly. Rather than taking the social psychology path, I'll switch to developmental psychology for the remainder and for my dissertation.

After watching my child go through pre-school, and now Kindergarten, I'm starting to notice many of the failures of early childhood learning in public (and potentially in private) institutions. Short of keeping my kid home and teaching her myself, there's not much I can do to affect change within the institutions without wasting a lot of my time.

Nonetheless, it is still my responsibility to shape this child's mind and position her for the best possible life outcomes. So I find myself asking, how do I do that?

I've answered the question. In answering it, I believe I've identified my next Fastlane opportunity. As such, a degree in developmental psychology will add credibility toward that direction (although the business should be operational long before I graduate lol).

That's it for now. Back to work.

 

[Primeperiwinkle]

Current Course
I'm surviving advanced qualitative research. It hasn't heavily focused on statistical analysis. Most of the analysis is qualitative (as one might expect). Qualitative research is time-consuming, but some aspects, such as text analysis, are enjoyable.

Going Forward
A month has passed since my last update. I've had time to reflect on my direction. I've decided to continue the PhD program; however, I'm going to adjust course slightly. Rather than taking the social psychology path, I'll switch to developmental psychology for the remainder and for my dissertation.

After watching my child go through pre-school, and now Kindergarten, I'm starting to notice many of the failures of early childhood learning in public (and potentially in private) institutions. Short of keeping my kid home and teaching her myself, there's not much I can do to affect change within the institutions without wasting a lot of my time.

Nonetheless, it is still my responsibility to shape this child's mind and position her for the best possible life outcomes. So I find myself asking, how do I do that?

I've answered the question. In answering it, I believe I've identified my next Fastlane opportunity. As such, a degree in developmental psychology will add credibility toward that direction (although the business should be operational long before I graduate lol).

That's it for now. Back to work.

You might find Philosophy of Education (Vol 6) by Charlotte Mason quite helpful. Alternatively, Mind to Mind by Karen Glass is intriguing.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Finished the final assignments for the latest class. It got a bit bumpy at the end. I had a huge research proposal due, but didn't think there was a page requirement because it wasn't stated in the rubric. So I developed the proposal to about 11 pages. Before submitting it, I reviewed the requirements and found out it had to be 25 pages minimum.

I spent the next 8 hours updating and adding content. After that, I went back through and fixed the things the instructor had previously commented on. Considering the paper was a novella (10,000 words) I figured the instructor wouldn't read the whole thing but would look for error corrections, and framework requirements (like 25 pages, X amount of references, headings in the right place with the right format, etc.).

After two days, she submitted a grade of 250 of 250. A perfect score. That's not the grade I would've given that paper, but hey, I'm just a student.

 

[Robdavis]

After watching my child go through pre-school, and now Kindergarten, I'm starting to notice many of the failures of early childhood learning in public (and potentially in private) institutions. Short of keeping my kid home and teaching her myself, there's not much I can do to affect change within the institutions without wasting a lot of my time.

Nonetheless, it is still my responsibility to shape this child's mind and position her for the best possible life outcomes. So I find myself asking, how do I do that?

@Lex DeVille It is interesting to read you talking about his, when a few days ago, @MJ DeMarco started a thread asking for feedback on ideas for a book for young kids that he is thinking of writing.

It seems to me that if you Lex, have a kid and some psychology knowledge and MJ is a writer, that it might be possible for the two of you to collaborate on some opportunity together. Why don't you set up a zoom call with coffee to discuss possibilities?

Just a suggestion. Thanks.

 

[Lex DeVille]

@Lex DeVille It is interesting to read you talking about his, when a few days ago, @MJ DeMarco started a thread asking for feedback on ideas for a book for young kids that he is thinking of writing.

It seems to me that if you Lex, have a kid and some psychology knowledge and MJ is a writer, that it might be possible for the two of you to collaborate on some opportunity together. Why don't you set up a zoom call with coffee to discuss possibilities?

Just a suggestion. Thanks.

It might be possible, but I wouldn't do it. MJ doesn't need help with a project like this, and I'd be a liability due to my sketchy past. As a general rule, I don't team up with people from the Fastlane Forum on projects because if the project goes south (and they sometimes do), it gets weird for everyone involved.

 

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[ZF Lee]

Finished the final assignments for the latest class. It got a bit bumpy at the end. I had a huge research proposal due, but didn't think there was a page requirement because it wasn't stated in the rubric. So I developed the proposal to about 11 pages. Before submitting it, I reviewed the requirements and found out it had to be 25 pages minimum.

I spent the next 8 hours updating and adding content. After that, I went back through and fixed the things the instructor had previously commented on. Considering the paper was a novella (10,000 words) I figured the instructor wouldn't read the whole thing but would look for error corrections, and framework requirements (like 25 pages, X amount of references, headings in the right place with the right format, etc.).

After two days, she submitted a grade of 250 of 250. A perfect score. That's not the grade I would've given that paper, but hey, I'm just a student.

Maybe she used ChatGPT to filter the nuggets out from your paper.

It might be possible, but I wouldn't do it. MJ doesn't need help with a project like this, and I'd be a liability due to my sketchy past. As a general rule, I don't team up with people from the Fastlane Forum on projects because if the project goes south (and they sometimes do), it gets weird for everyone involved.

I'd like to see how MJ writes a book for kids.
The voice will have to be much more different...maybe gentler and more approachable than the usual sailor lingo that we the regulars are used to.

But then again, kids today might be more advanced than we think. Maybe even more tolerable.

I mean...back in my high school days, my batch did not think much about dating.
Now I'm hearing kids as young as 13 years old are already going on dates lol.

 

[Lex DeVille]

The final course of the Executive Certificate program is off to a weird start.

There are basically no discussions at this point. Everything is focused on research. The course is interesting. It covers developmental psychology research. I screwed up my first assignment. Hopefully the teacher grades easy for the first week.

Once I finish this, I'll earn a diploma. Then I have to finish the remaining 2/3rds of the PhD.

I switched back to the social psychology concentration. It was a tough decision, and I'm still not 100% sure it's the right one. I love social psychology. I also love developmental psychology. Ultimately, it doesn't make a huge difference, except that it changes the courses slightly.

In addition to schoolwork, I'm considering doing solo research and submitting it to academic journals for peer-review and publication. This may come in handy at some point in the future.

 

[Lex DeVille]

The Instructor
Pretty sure the Instructor is a Type 1. She was going to give me a zero on the first assignment for not adding citations. In my defense, the directions made it seem like the assignment was an opinion piece that did not require citations.

Contributions to Psychology
Lately, I've been thinking about shifting my psychology focus in the direction of longevity, life extension (LE), and even immortality research. It seems there aren't many unexplored places to become a pioneer in the field of psychology in the way Freud, Erikson, and others have. But life extension is still a relatively underexplored area for psychologists, so the opportunity is there. As of now, there are no notable psychologists in this area that I am aware of.

I've been an "immortalist" for as long as I can remember, and have a deep network of connections in the LE community. Some of those connections have a history of funding LE research. I'll continue to toy with the idea for now because I'm not sure what my contribution would look like just yet. But it's on my radar.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Theories and Research of Developmental Psychology was fun, but now it is over. I've completed the final course of the Executive Certificate program and have a couple weeks of break for the holidays before the next class.

From here on out, I have to get serious with my dissertation path. The next course will be my first dissertation course. I've got over a year left, but when school starts again in the new year, I'll officially begin climbing the final hill to conquer this progress thread and bring this journey to a close.

If only I were this committed to most of my business ideas...

 

[ZF Lee]

Theories and Research of Developmental Psychology was fun, but now it is over. I've completed the final course of the Executive Certificate program and have a couple weeks of break for the holidays before the next class.

From here on out, I have to get serious with my dissertation path. The next course will be my first dissertation course. I've got over a year left, but when school starts again in the new year, I'll officially begin climbing the final hill to conquer this progress thread and bring this journey to a close.

If only I were this committed to most of my business ideas...

Honestly was expecting you to burst out of school to run back to 'eat what you hunt' mode with Upwork and other digital biz ventures, while cursing all of academia lol. (I would)

But I'm glad you made it this far.

As much as school sucks, can't deny that its systems of checks & balances, with teacher figures do help with the accountability process. In business though, we have to find or make our own way.

 

[Andy Black]

If only I were this committed to most of my business ideas...

What would make you this committed to a business idea?

 

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[msufan]

What would make you this committed to a business idea?

YES. What is it: the external accountability? The sunk cost??

 

[Lex DeVille]

What would make you this committed to a business idea?

YES. What is it: the external accountability? The sunk cost??

Don't know. Probably nothing. I don't view college as a sunk cost. My degrees are a force multiplier for credibility. There's no external accountability in online courses.

The degree plays into my identity. Course subjects change every 8 weeks. I have clear milestones and a clear goal that I will achieve for certain as long as I continue in that direction, but I don't think any of those things would keep me committed to a business idea in the same way.

 

[Roli]

What would make you this committed to a business idea?

I'm guessing it's novelty. I'm the same, severe ADHD.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Next Course
School starts Monday. Ordered my book. Still waiting for its arrival. The course should be relatively easy. It's the first course of the doctoral program. I skipped it while doing the Executive Certificate because it wasn't required at the time.

Multiple Courses
I'm scheduled for dual courses later this semester. If I can somehow pull off two courses at a time, I'll be Doctor DeVille in a little over a year.

Free Money
Now that I'm a Fed., Uncle Sam is dishing out Tuition Assistance for my college to the tune of $4500 per year. It's not the deal I wanted, but there are multiple ways to get the Government to pay for college if I stick around for a bit. Don't know how long I'll last, so for now, I'll enjoy the cash.

Multi-Lingual Doctor Goal
Becoming a doctor is cool. It would be more cool to be a multi-lingual doctor. So I'm adding a goal of learning three languages and I'll document some of that progress in this thread from time to time. The languages I intend to learn are:

1. German
2. Spanish
3. Russian

I'm 20 days into the German course on Duolingo. In addition, I just finished an entry-level 6-hour course in German through the Department of Defense's Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) portal, and just started their longer 80-hour course.

Here's what I learned today:

Halt oder ich schießen! means "Stop or I'll shoot!"

And if you screw it up like I did and say it like this:

Halt oder ich scheißen!

The translation becomes, "Stop or I'll shit!"

It's a difference of one letter, but what a difference it makes!

 

[MTF]

Multi-Lingual Doctor Goal
Becoming a doctor is cool. It would be more cool to be a multi-lingual doctor. So I'm adding a goal of learning three languages and I'll document some of that progress in this thread from time to time. The languages I intend to learn are:

1. German
2. Spanish
3. Russian

I'm 20 days into the German course on Duolingo. In addition, I just finished an entry-level 6-hour course in German through the Department of Defense's Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) portal, and just started their longer 80-hour course.

That's awesome. Hit me up if you need any Spanish resources though I speak European Spanish and mostly use European Spanish content. In your case, Mexican Spanish would be a better choice.

Here's what I learned today:

Halt oder ich schießen! means "Stop or I'll shoot!"

And if you screw it up like I did and say it like this:

Halt oder ich scheißen!

The translation becomes, "Stop or I'll shit!"

It's a difference of one letter, but what a difference it makes!

Well both are still clear, scary threats.

 

[Roli]

Next Course
School starts Monday. Ordered my book. Still waiting for its arrival. The course should be relatively easy. It's the first course of the doctoral program. I skipped it while doing the Executive Certificate because it wasn't required at the time.

Multiple Courses
I'm scheduled for dual courses later this semester. If I can somehow pull off two courses at a time, I'll be Doctor DeVille in a little over a year.

Free Money
Now that I'm a Fed., Uncle Sam is dishing out Tuition Assistance for my college to the tune of $4500 per year. It's not the deal I wanted, but there are multiple ways to get the Government to pay for college if I stick around for a bit. Don't know how long I'll last, so for now, I'll enjoy the cash.

Multi-Lingual Doctor Goal
Becoming a doctor is cool. It would be more cool to be a multi-lingual doctor. So I'm adding a goal of learning three languages and I'll document some of that progress in this thread from time to time. The languages I intend to learn are:

1. German
2. Spanish
3. Russian

I'm 20 days into the German course on Duolingo. In addition, I just finished an entry-level 6-hour course in German through the Department of Defense's Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) portal, and just started their longer 80-hour course.

Here's what I learned today:

Halt oder ich schießen! means "Stop or I'll shoot!"

And if you screw it up like I did and say it like this:

Halt oder ich scheißen!

The translation becomes, "Stop or I'll shit!"

It's a difference of one letter, but what a difference it makes!

Lolz, wait till you get to German compound words! Hit me up if you ever need any live practice with German and Spanish, I speak both languages adequately, Spanish better though.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Lolz, wait till you get to German compound words! Hit me up if you ever need any live practice with German and Spanish, I speak both languages adequately, Spanish better though.

I'm learning some compound words. At first I was like...wtf, why are these words so damn long!!

Spanish would be more useful in the U.S., but I don't find the language as pleasing. I don't run into Germans very often here. Spanish speakers are everywhere. In some places in the U.S., Spanish is so commonly spoken that city signs are in both English and Spanish.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Just added up all of my training time across Duolingo and the JKO courses for January. So far I've spent just over 62 hours on Duolingo. In JKO, I finished a six hour German beginner course and 38 hours of the Headstart2 course which brings me to 100 hours of language training across my first month!


Chat GPT says A1 level is approximately 160 - 200 hours.

I have one unit left in Duolingo Section Two. Then I'll have 14 units to complete in Section Three. After that, I'll enter the A2 level courses for Duolingo, so it seems like the training time will sync up nicely.

In addition to the above, I started listening to a podcast called CoffeeBreak German where the speakers record conversations in German, and then break down the exchange. These are around 20 minutes, and I think I've listened to three episodes so far.

If by some wild chance I'm able to maintain this level of training, (and probably if I work with a tutor) I should be pretty damn good speaking German by next year.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Doctoral Certificate completed. 30 credit hours and a dissertation are all that stands between me and this journey's finish line.

 

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[MTF]

Just added up all of my training time across Duolingo and the JKO courses for January. So far I've spent just over 62 hours on Duolingo. In JKO, I finished a six hour German beginner course and 38 hours of the Headstart2 course which brings me to 100 hours of language training across my first month!

View attachment 53757
Chat GPT says A1 level is approximately 160 - 200 hours.

I have one unit left in Duolingo Section Two. Then I'll have 14 units to complete in Section Three. After that, I'll enter the A2 level courses for Duolingo, so it seems like the training time will sync up nicely.

In addition to the above, I started listening to a podcast called CoffeeBreak German where the speakers record conversations in German, and then break down the exchange. These are around 20 minutes, and I think I've listened to three episodes so far.

If by some wild chance I'm able to maintain this level of training, (and probably if I work with a tutor) I should be pretty damn good speaking German by next year.

How are you finding Duolingo after using it for a couple of weeks?

Also, I strongly suggest getting a tutor on Italki. This will supercharge your progress.

I've been learning French for about 7 weeks now. I'm currently using a mix of Duolingo, Anki (for word memorization) and online classes with a tutor (two regular classes and two accent classes a week). I also listen to French music every day, often to the same songs for hours every day.

I can have conversations in French with my teacher and understand most of what she says, even if I don't understand every word. I'd be far from this level with just Duolingo.

 

[Lex DeVille]

How are you finding Duolingo after using it for a couple of weeks?

Also, I strongly suggest getting a tutor on Italki. This will supercharge your progress.

I've been learning French for about 7 weeks now. I'm currently using a mix of Duolingo, Anki (for word memorization) and online classes with a tutor (two regular classes and two accent classes a week). I also listen to French music every day, often to the same songs for hours every day.

I can have conversations in French with my teacher and understand most of what she says, even if I don't understand every word. I'd be far from this level with just Duolingo.

I still love Duolingo. Haven't started working with a tutor. Mainly because I'm not sure when I'll have time and actually benefit from it. Mon - Fri I have time in the afternoon but my brain is completely melted from this job.

Sat and Sun are options, but those are also days where I handle stuff I couldn't do throughout the week, plus family time, piano, and school work.

With Duolingo, I've started learning Spanish in addition to German. When I do the lessons in Spanish, I also say the words and sentences in German to practice both at the same time.

The JKO course I was taking went from 0 to 100 way too fast. The problem with that course is it's for military use, so they teach words and phrases, but the meanings are incorrect. Like, in English I might say "See you this afternoon" and the JKO course might paraphrase that into "See you later." That might be useful in a practical sense but not in a learning sense.

This morning, I came upon two new resources I intend to leverage:

1. Mango Languages - Language courses app (I get free access through my job)
2. PressReader.com - Newspapers and magazines in various languages (also get access through my job)

I may have more free time soon. If so, I'll work with a tutor. It's definitely on my to-do list. I'll probably work with a Spanish tutor first since the language is more practical for my location.

 

[MTF]

I still love Duolingo. Haven't started working with a tutor. Mainly because I'm not sure when I'll have time and actually benefit from it. Mon - Fri I have time in the afternoon but my brain is completely melted from this job.

A great way to practice speaking without a tutor is to record yourself telling a story from your life or talking about a topic that you often talk about. Do it for, say, 2-3 minutes, stop recording, and then rewatch it or relisten and take notes on missing words, words you didn't know how to pronounce or pronounced incorrectly, etc.

The efficiency comes from the fact that you're talking about something you often talk about anyway in your native language. You build relevant vocabulary and phrases/sentences you're most likely going to use over and over again with many people.

For example, you can tell a story of why you moved to Utah or why you like entrepreneurship.

The issue with many courses is that they teach you general vocabulary but often that general vocabulary is useless. For example, I absolutely don't care about popular sports so it's useless for me to know how to say football field, spectators, match, goal, or whatever else they do when playing. But a regular course won't teach you how to say entrepreneurship, value, product, service, etc. which is way more relevant considering your life.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

As I wrap up the latest course, I find myself pondering a detour.

I chose Liberty U to avoid the propaganda and brainwashing of liberal universities. Unfortunately, it's only more of the same.

The latest course proclaims that earning a PhD "makes" you a thought leader. A large portion of the course required writing essays on the benefits of a Christian worldview for our research, followed by making recorded presentations of the same. These are the same psychological manipulation techniques used on prisoners of war to get them to adopt a new identity.

I dunno, maybe I just need a break.

I'm tired of the field of psychology, tired of the corporate-controlled APA and its agenda, tired of peers and professors who don't give a shit. Tired of propaganda and indoctrination, and tired of pretending like I care about all of this.

I'm considering enrolling in a different program in another field. Maybe studying something else will re-ignite my interest in psychology and I can come back later on to finish the degree.

I haven't made the decision yet. But it's definitely weighing on my thoughts.

I'm only a year out from graduation, but I find myself asking, "do I want to give up another year of my life to this path?"

 

[Andy Black]

As I wrap up the latest course, I find myself pondering a detour.

I chose Liberty U to avoid the propaganda and brainwashing of liberal universities. Unfortunately, it's only more of the same.

The latest course proclaims that earning a PhD "makes" you a thought leader. A large portion of the course required writing essays on the benefits of a Christian worldview for our research, followed by making recorded presentations of the same. These are the same psychological manipulation techniques used on prisoners of war to get them to adopt a new identity.

I dunno, maybe I just need a break.

I'm tired of the field of psychology, tired of the corporate-controlled APA and its agenda, tired of peers and professors who don't give a shit. Tired of propaganda and indoctrination, and tired of pretending like I care about all of this.

I'm considering enrolling in a different program in another field. Maybe studying something else will re-ignite my interest in psychology and I can come back later on to finish the degree.

I haven't made the decision yet. But it's definitely weighing on my thoughts.

I'm only a year out from graduation, but I find myself asking, "do I want to give up another year of my life to this path?"

You've lasted way longer than I did when I went back to study a one year MSc. I loved the first semester but the second was BS about how to format a dissertation etc. I bailed straight away. No sunk-cost fallacy with me over that.

You mention being tired a lot in your post. Could being tired be affecting how you view things? In your case, you've put in way more time and effort than my one semester. It would be a shame to stop for the wrong reasons. (Not saying not to stop if that's the right choice.)