Is it possible to get a Mentor for personal mentorship?

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The discussion revolves around a private sector professional with an MSc in physics seeking to understand non-perturbative quantum field theory (QFT) and its integration with general relativity. The individual expresses a desire for mentorship to enhance their understanding over the next 30 years, emphasizing the need for personal interaction to maintain focus and motivation. Suggestions include exploring local physics societies or university connections to find potential mentors and engage in discussions. The conversation also touches on the limitations of AI in providing the emotional and intellectual support that human mentorship offers. Overall, the individual is looking for community engagement and guidance in their pursuit of advanced physics knowledge.
jordi
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I am a person working in the private sector. I studied physics, up to MSc level (QFT, string theory). But then I moved towards the private sector, raising a family, etc.

My wish is to try and understand QFT at the non-perturbative level. I do not need to write any paper on that subject, just to feel I understand well the subject (in other words, to internally feel that I understand the main stumbling blocks that prevent professional physicists to be able to define Yang-Mills as a non-perturbative theory, and to mix General Relativity and QFT/SM into a quantum gravity theory).

When I have some time, I try to read books that interest me. But (probably for some psychological failure I have) my attention span does not last enough to finish a given book. My personal experience (in other fields, different from physics) is that when I recurrently speak with somebody else about a given subject, then my attention span improves dramatically.

So, what I would like is to have a mentor that guides me for the following say 30 years of my life, in this path. I do not know if this is possible (especially, a mentor with no physical meetings, as a PhD advisor would be, for example), or if anybody would be interested in being my mentor at all.

Have there been previous experiences on this endeavor?
 
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Sounds like a good candidate for AI. I don't think it's developed to that point yet, though.
 
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berkeman said:
Sounds like a good candidate for AI. I don't think it's developed to that point yet, though.

AI? Artificial intelligence?

I think I need more like a "human intelligence", more on the "emotional" side ... :)
 
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Are you near any universities with Physics departments? Are there societies that have local chapters near you who have/had meetings and presentations? Hopefully such in-person get-togethers can resume soon after the COVID vaccine becomes available.

I used to belong to the Society for Information Display, and we had monthly meetings where members and guests presented about their work on display development. It was very interesting and valuable for me, and a great way to meet people who were interested in many of the same things I was.

Would some group in APS be a good place to start? Is there a local chapter near you that is active?
 
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