Anyone know how to get into "research" jobs?

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I think doing research would suit me well... and eggheads are almost expected to be a little different from the norm.

Anyone know how to get started? I can take up to two years of college thanks to Employment Insurance.

Thanks!

I have no idea, but I think I should start trying to do that myself, considering that my current job is looking more and more precarious...

Take advantage of the opportunity to go to college.

What type of research?

In any case, you'll probably need college. If you're really serious about research, try to get into a university where serious research in your field is being done, rather than just a teaching college. Lots of professors at research universities will let undergraduates join their research groups, and many times you will get course credits or money for your work.

What sort of research, what subjects are you interested in? you can 'research' in any subject.
For scientific research you probably need a BSc minimum. Also the attitude in research has changed and there is now much more emphasis put on people skills, information sharing, being a team-player and collaborating. I am one of the leading researchers in my field but am having a hard time because of this.

If you actually want to be doing the research and not just assisting in a lab or something, then that'll mean you'll probably be needing a PhD or MD-- although in some fields a Masters may do.

But you'll be needing an advanced degree if you're wanting to do that actual research and whatnot.

For myself, I am into Psychology (moreso a focus on neurology though) and to do this I will be needing to finish off my bachelors in Psych and then do a PhD program, with an internship before I graduate. Following that, some states in the US (although I'm not sure which ones anymore) may require that you be licensed. I will be going through licensing, which will take even more time following graduation from a graduate program, because I not only want to be involved in research but also want to be a diagnostician focusing on adult ASCs.

So, like everyone else has asked so far: What field(s) are you interested in researching? That's the first step. Then you'll need to find out just what the specific requirements are for that field. Have you begun college yet?

If you're in the US (I'm not as certain about the UK), you're looking at about 4-5 years for a Bachelors degree, and then for a PhD program, about another 6-8 depending on the program and how quickly you finish your dissertation and get your internship/residency out of the way.

What field are you in, alexbeetle?

this basically applies to the natural sciences (but social sciences are probably similar, but my contact has been with biologists, chemsits and physicists): do a BSc, then do a PhD in your topic of interest with a good advisor (the topic and the research group are key to a PhD, rather than the university or any graduate courses, exams). in academia, you would then normally do at least one postdoc (temporary research position for someone with a PhD) b4 moving on to a permanent position. in industry, a postdoc may not be necessary; in academia, you have far more freedom to research what interests you, but there's also teaching, lower wages, etc, and even in the US the competition for a permanent position in a decent place can be very fierce (it's much worse everywhere else in the world). in industry you have far less flexibility, but the pay is better and there's no teaching. realistically in industry, you won't be working on projects that will dramatically change the world, you're more likely to be fiddling to make a process cheaper, solve a very specific technical diffculty or otherwise increase company profits. academia has the drawback that the scientist must find his/her own funds (government grants or company collaborations); universities don't actually fund research (in fact, they charge scientists to recover costs like water, electricity, etc). don't get me wrong, research is an excellent option if you're passionate about your subject (i.e. it's a good choice if you're choosing it for the right reasons). just be aware that there are no positions where you will do only research, have the freedom to choose what to research, and not worry about red tape, students or getting funding.

It's pretty much the same in the Social Sciences. Although I think there are some universities that may fund grants for their profs. I know my uni does, albeit it tends to be piddling little funds. And you still have to go through the same process of applying for a grant like you would anywhere else.

Crap. I can only get 2 years of college education. That's it.

So I guess "reasearch" is most likely out.

If it is something that you want to do, and you are serious about it, you should explore your options before just giving up. You said you have two years of tuition already covered.

Look into scholarships.

Think about working for a professor. If you want to do research when you are out of school, you might as well start while you are in school. Depending on the department's funding (and specifically the professor's funding) you may be able to do research for a professor and get paid to do so.

And financial aid. In the US, if you're no longer considered a dependent and you're poor enough, you can probably get your entire tuition paid for. Provided you don't try going to Harvard or something, hehe.

In the US, btw, the age of independence from your parents-- according to colleges-- is 23.5. If you're under that age, then hopefully your parents are poor enough.

In the UK a degree is 3 years, an MA another year, and a PHD another 3. Obviously each stage can take longer. Plus obviously you need to obtain funding.

Pbcoll's post had so much that I can relate to, with a Ph.D.. in EE and a textbook to my credit. As far as I am concerned, it is getting increasingly difficult to get into research fields of the type you probably imagine. After a number of years in high-tech corporate environments, the lack of flexibility in work is getting increasingly stifling. It has gotten so bad that I recently just through my hands up in the air, more or less allowed myself to get pushed out the door (for various reasons) and I am looking to readjust things if I can.

My biggest problem was to allow myself to get pushed into crisis product delivery situations, where everything is being monitored on a quarterly basis. This is increasingly a problem because companies are motivated solely by 'figures' for the quarter, so as to buoy stock price and please investors. The way this chafes us R&D types is that few, if any, of us went to grad school so that we could go out in the world and please investors or worry about whether the stock is up or down 15%. So there is this fundamental dichotomy between what motivates YOU and what motivates THEM.

As for academia, I hear through the grapevine that faculty has been increasingly dependent on industry for funding, say in the last 10 to 15 years. So you may end up groveling to the same people. I do know of one EE faculty member who has considered just going into industry and quitting his tenured faculty position. One other aspect of faculty is the teaching. I always enjoyed it, but doing it well takes much time and effort, and in the end the quality of your teaching is not the prime mover of your career - the funding and money brought to your institution are. So we are back to that dichotomy.

Shadexiii is definitely on the right track, as are Cooper and alexbeetle.

Identify the kind of research you're interested in. Then, depending on the type of institution where you go, seek out a prefessor in your area of interest, and see if they could use your help. Some colleges even give course credit for doing a research prject under a professor's mentorship.

There are also several researchers investigating autism who collaborate with people on the spectrum. For instance, Laurent Mouttron at the Universite de Montreal has a collaborator, Michelle Dawson, who is autistic and has provided him with invaluable insight.