Personal Development

There are other ways to learn without working;

• read philosophy,
• science fact,
• science fiction (Kim Stanley Robinson = mars trilogy, Antarctica, icehenge, pacific edge, books by asimov, Arthur C Clarke, William Gibson is very cool - neuramancer - who popularised the word 'cyberspace'),
• learn cybernetics and about feedback and control systems,
• learn about evolution (Richard Dawkins for evolution in general),
• how the mind works (Dennet + hofestader - the minds eye, consciousness explained, "Godel, Escher and Bach" for great stuff about mathematical paradox, mind bending art, and remarkably complex music, and Susan Blackmore for taking Richard Dawkins evolutionary model of the mind into a full blown theory - the meme theory of the mind), etc. etc. etc.

the more you learn about other disciplines, the more likely you are to develop your own ideas within your own spectrum that other people will not have - try to be different to your contemporaries, not the same!!! become more worldly, not more insular. Learn from other areas where there is an abundance of talent." ...quite nice to stumble across this when feeling a little lost.