Hello everyone,
I wonder if anyone can help me out here. I am currenty in the UK where my partner is working fulltime. We have been living here for five years. Ever since coming here, I have been a stay at home parent. Now that my kids are in full time school, I having been planning to get back to academia and possibly pursue a Phd in the field of computer science/engineering. I have a masters degree in mechatronics engnieering from an overseas unviersity which is considered equivalent here in the UK. I have previously applied for a masters in computer engineering here in the UK but my application was rejected for unspecified reason. It took a toll on my optimism and I didn't reapply. I am now yearning to get back to academia as research. However I am in a dilemma whether I should go for a second masters in computer science or look for a phd position. Then there is the issue of funding as well. I may just about be able to self- fund my masters as a home student but getting a student finance may greatly help with other expenses such as childcare etc. From what I understand, because I have masters already (although from overseas) I may not be qualified for student finance(?). On the other hand if I were to apply for a phd position I wonder if any supervisor will be willing to supervise me given that I have had a 5 years gap and previous masters in a slightly different field. Also, I have no idea how to get financial support for phd and if i will qualify for one. Its a frustrating dilemma, I did fairly well in my previous masters research and I am hopeful that I will enjoy my phd journey but i do not know how to get there and where to get the support i need. Would love to hear if anyone has been in similar scenario and what did you do? I have no interest in doing anything else other than research.