A former colleague recently invited me for coffee to ask me about being a mature PhD candidate. An enthusiastic learner, she already has a master's degree under her belt and has taken courses ranging from Chinese literature to the Spanish language.

I offered some perspectives about the choice of universities and the thought process which I hoped was helpful. As we wrapped up our chat, she cheekily quipped: "Actually, if I didn't have to worry about livelihood, I would just be a student for life!"