Crossword Genius

A second English degree? That’s not much of a life (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

amoeba

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'not much of a life' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'a second english degree?' is the wordplay.
'second' becomes 'mo' (both are short periods of time).
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'degree?' becomes 'ba' (Bachelor of Arts).
'a'+'mo'+'e'+'ba'='AMOEBA'

'that's' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for amoeba that I've seen before include "Single-celled animal" , "Freshwater or marine protozoa" , "Unicellular organism" , "Constantly-changing one-celled creatures" , "Tiny organism consisting of single changing cell" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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