Hi everyone,

I'm having a bit of a dilemma and wondered if anyone else has been in the same position or has any thoughts?

I graduated last year. I loved the research aspect of my degree and being very hands on. Over the summer I had a "placement/experience" doing research abroad, which was the most incredible experience. The lecturer who I was helping told me I should just go for it and do a masters.

I then kind of lost my way a little over autumn, I was working in an awful retail job so I started applying for graduate positions. As we all know, they are pretty few and far between. I was lucky enough to be offered a job so started and moved in January, dragging my boyfriend with me. He is happy in his new job.

I'm not too happy. The job is okay, although dull. Not that well paid but I am getting experience behind me. I really like my colleagues. But I am constantly sat at my desk wishing I was doing something more interesting. Research is always something I've wanted to do. So I was planning to get two years of job experience behind me and then go back to uni, but now I'm contemplating applying for this year, the application doesn't close until July. I am quite unhappy and it is becoming a strain on my mental health, but I also need to weigh up how lucky I am to have a job, and how hard it'll be to get another job in the future, especially if I only have a few months experience.

I was just wondering if anyone had been in a similar position? I'm so unsure on what to do.

Honestly, if you're miserable and don't like your job, you might as well apply for some courses this year and see what happens. Sure, work experience is useful for finding a job afterwards (unless you want to go down the academic route, in which case it won't matter that much unless its related). But it sounds like you won't want to go back to the same thing anyway. In future interviews, when employers ask why you left, saying "to pursue a master's" doesn't sounds bad. Plus, working January to September is a decent stretch - enough to say you gave it a decent go but it wasn't for you.

If you're really worried about future employability, you could also consider do the master's part-time and working/volunteering alongside it, perhaps doing something more aligned with what you want to do afterwards? That way, you'll be accruing relevant experience at the same time as studying.

I wouldnt waste any time doing a job I didnt like.
Do the masters if that is what excites you.
Life is too short.