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I never went to university. But I am not one of those guys who bangs on about how the "university of life" or the "school of hard knocks" is a badge of honour. Honestly, missing out is something I regret. I did go to business school in my late thirties, but that was not exactly a classic on-campus experience.

Years ago, I used to work near a university. Sometimes I would take a walk through the campus during my lunch break. I would always feel better afterwards, though I was never quite sure why.

Recently, my youngest daughter started her studies at the University of Auckland. We met up on campus the other day for coffee. When I got home, I noticed that exact same feeling creeping back in. This time, I gave it a bit of thought.

What I noticed was simple. Young people were wandering around or sitting in groups of two or more. They were laughing, chatting, and often had laptops open discussing coursework. Sure, some were glued to their phones, but even then, they were engaged with the people right in front of them.

I think there are a couple of things worth noting here. Yes, social media has taxed the young disproportionately, dragging their attention down various rabbit holes. But given the opportunity, they still crave real-world company.

Despite what the tech bros tell you, universities are still vibrant, engaging spaces where young people get the chance to think about how they will shape their future. Have you ever noticed that the tech CEOs who keep saying "college is dead" all went to Cornell, Harvard, or Stanford?

Being around people who are engaged and curious has a massive halo effect. When you are in your forties or fifties, it is incredibly easy to become cynical. You have seen the corporate cycles repeat, you have sat through a thousand pointless meetings, and you probably feel like you have seen it all. That cynicism is a career killer. It makes you rigid.

When you surround yourself with young people who are just starting out, their energy is infectious. They are not bogged down by decades of corporate baggage. They are looking at the world as a place full of possibilities, not a series of inevitable disappointments. For midlife professionals looking to pivot or reinvent themselves, tapping into that unjaded curiosity is like finding a cheat code. It shakes you out of your rut and forces you to look at your own trajectory with fresh eyes.

Try this: Next time you feel stuck in a professional rut, change your geography. Go work from a university library cafe or a busy student hub for an afternoon. Just sit, observe, and let the ambient optimism rub off on you.

This brings me to my working thesis: old heads need young minds.

As we get older, we accumulate wisdom, experience, and a pretty good radar for nonsense. That is the "old head" advantage. But we also lose our elasticity. We stop asking "what if" and start saying "we tried that in 2014 and it failed."

Young minds bring the elasticity. They bring the raw horsepower, the willingness to break things, and the blind optimism required to try something completely new. If you want to reinvent yourself, you cannot just hang around other midlife professionals complaining about the economy. You need to mix your hard-earned experience with their unfiltered curiosity. You provide the guardrails; they provide the engine. It is a symbiotic relationship that keeps you relevant and keeps them grounded.

So, how do you actually put this into practice? You do not need to enrol in a four-year degree to get the benefits of campus energy.

First, start mentoring. Find a junior colleague or someone just entering your industry and offer them some of your time. You will be surprised by how much you learn from them while you are supposedly doing the teaching.

Second, stay curious about what the next generation is doing. Stop dismissing their platforms, their slang, or their priorities. If you want to stay employable and earn more in your next chapter, you need to understand the people who will soon be running the show.

Reach out to someone at least fifteen years younger than you in your industry. Ask them for a coffee. Do not give them advice unless they ask for it. Just ask them what they are excited about right now and listen.

Reinvention is not about trying to act young. It is about refusing to let your mind grow old. The cool kids on campus have something we desperately need: the belief that the best is yet to come. It is not too late to borrow a little bit of that magic for yourself.