Search for Offline Physics Partner or Group

I’m currently looking for somebody or some people who are interested in serious physics studies outside the normal university setting. Particularly, I’m looking for someone who has approximately a Bachelor’s-level understanding of physics. This is a serious endeavor and I would like to spend 30+ hours/week on studying (but less than a standard graduate school time commitment). I’m currently self employed and can therefore relocate as this would need to be something done in person, not online.

I have ideas on how to approach the project but am open to something different if you have ideas of your own. What I don’t want is simply to approach learning the same way it’s taught in school but without the lectures. If that’s all I wanted, I could do this alone. What I’d like to do requires at least 2 people (and more wouldn’t necessarily be better, either) to accomplish.

I would like to emphasize that this is a serious project, working on a variety of subjects but focusing on theoretical quantum mechanics (and all branches contained under that umbrella) and cosmology. Eventually I would like to finish my PhD but learning physics is the goal, getting the PhD is simply something that will come in time. I believe opportunities for research will be available during the process as well.

Why I’m doing this:

My reasons for this are fairly simple. I’m a slightly older student, my physics Bachelor’s was my 2nd, and after 4 years of undergraduate school and one semester of graduate school, I’ve become a bit disenchanted with the system and process. I did well academically (3.94 GPA as an undergraduate, internships at NASA and Brookhaven, and a successful first semester at graduate school), but I feel that I’m being pushed down a pipeline with the final goal of PhD, post-docs, and some job after in a specific field. I don’t feel I’m gaining the broad skills and foundations in math and physics that I feel I should.

Many studies have shown that the standard physics education is sub-par at best. It’s uninspired, unmotivating, and simply a grind everybody goes through because that’s the way it’s always been. I’m not interested in living that life. I’m looking for something more.

Will this project succeed? Unknown. But it’s a risk I’m more than willing to take.

If you’re interested, please contact me so we can talk and see if we’re on the same page going further.

Best,
Eric