Friend: Hey, how are you? How are your studies going?

You: Hey, I’m OK. Things are going pretty well, thanks for asking. How are you?

I forget what you’re studying. Can you quickly explain it to me?

Can I quickly explain what I’ve been studying for the last several years? No.

Several years. Wow, I don’t know how you do it. Aren’t you tired of being a student?

Well, being a postgraduate student is actually very different to being an undergraduate. To you it might seem like I’ve been doing the same thing for a long time, but in reality every year has been very different.

But don’t you already have a degree. Why don’t you just get a job?

It’s true, my undergraduate degree opened the door to plenty of career opportunities, but they weren’t the right next step for me. I wanted to keep learning and to keep opening up new opportunities, so that’s what I’m doing.

Do you not want the routine of a nine-to-five?

I don’t know. Maybe someday, but right now I’m committed to what I’m doing. I didn’t take the decision to continue my education lightly, I gave it a lot of thought, so I’m confident I’ve made the right choice.

If I was you, I’d be desperate to get out into the real world.

(looking around the room) I don’t know, this seems pretty real to me.

I meant to ask, why didn’t you text me back that time?

I regularly schedule time for pure study and in that time I avoid all distractions, including my phone, so if I’m not replying to you, it’s nothing personal.

That sounds intense. Do you ever get stressed?

I am now.

Oh. Don’t you like talking about your degree?

Not like this, no.

OK, I’ll stop. Just tell me, do you still get a free student cheeseburger at McDonald’s?

Yes. Yes, I do.

That’s cool.

Thanks.