Yeah... I wasn't so much suggesting that it's a viable path to a career in research as observing that if you missed your chance to do a PhD, you're not cut off

Yeah... I wasn't so much suggesting that it's a viable path to a career in research as observing that if you missed your chance to do a PhD, you're not cut off for life from the subjective rewards of research that Dr. Harchol-Balter alluded to, like the satisfaction that comes from working on fundamental problems. You'd need more self-motivation. However, when research isn't your real job, there's no pressure, so you can take your time, and produce results or not, as you wish.