Help me figure out what to do with a PhD

[AvivaSimplex]

I finished up grad school last year, and since then I've been trying to find a career that really fits me. I took some time off, under the theory that I should do professionally whatever I did for fun. That turns out to be +EV gambling and equities research.

Here's a little about me. Strengths. I have a PhD in neuroimaging (fMRI) from Washington University. I know they're not Harvard, but they were one of the places that invented neuroimaging 20-30 years ago, and that department is one of the world's best. My publication record is pretty good, and my test scores and GPA are very strong.

I love strategy games. Poker, Civilization, bridge, etc. I'm very good at figuring out how to exploit rules quickly. I also have a natural instinct towards making money. Nearly all of my hobbies revolve around profit. Like most here, I'm a successful poker player, but I've also started an online advertising business (successful at one point but now defunct due to recent legislation), resold Nintendo Wiis, and did casino bonus whoring. Right now I'm supporting myself through sports arbitrage.

I've been extremely successful in the stock market. Over the past 3 years, I've made investment gains of 200% in my IRA (vs. 50% for the S&P500). This has mostly been accomplished using value-based investing with holding periods of 1-3 years.

Weaknesses. I'm honestly a pretty terrible salesman. During grad school I did casino bonus whoring, and I tried to convince my friends to do it so I could get some referral bonuses. For those who aren't familiar, bonus whoring is (was) a way to make a few thousand dollars with very little risk by exploiting online casinos' signup bonuses. Despite having a great product to sell (Real Free Money!), I was only able to get one of my friends to try it.

Working hours. I've always thought of my mind as a sprinter rather than a marathon runner. I'll figure things out very quickly, but I have a hard time working very long hours. Everything I've read about investment banking tells me that 100 hours/week is standard--that would kill me. 60 hours/week I could do, but that would be tough to sustain for more than a few years.

I have basically no connections in finance or business.


Does anybody have suggestions about what I should do with my career?