"Investigation of academic options" should be self-explanatory. A university is one of the few places where you might be able to work full-time on matters like these. Unfortunately, this outcome continues to elude me. So while I set about whipping up a stew of private microloans and casual work so as to keep a roof over my head, it's time for me to try the Internet option as well.

Find people at universities with the kind of position you want. Look at their resumes or bios posted online, and see what they have in common.

I have done this; and for CS, what they had in common was having PhD from a famous university.