Should I quit my masters degree to pursue a job?

From what you've said, the Masters won't be any use to you and you aren't enjoying it. On the face of it, if you get a decent offer for your preferred career path, it seems completely logical to drop the Masters.

The fly in the ointment is the obligation to your parents, now that they've paid your Masters fee. There's not much I can advise there, as how you approach them will be down to the type of people you all are, and your relationship.

I'm currently on a 1-year MSc course in Immunology and the prospect of moving on to a PhD and then struggling to get a PostDoc and then struggling to get a permanent career as a moderately well-paid scientist is making me depressed.

I've decided to pursue a career as a patent attorney (uses my biological science degree and is extremely well paid). I started applying to various places and I might have a position as a trainee patent attorney (25-28K per year whilst training, 40K+ afterwards), but it would require I start in January (MSc finishes in July).

My parents are paying £9,000 for this masters so it might annoy them, but obviously they want me to get a good job so it'll be mixed feelings for them.

So my question is, should I quit my masters if I get a definite offer?

You should get some of your fees back if you leave in January anyway. I wouldn't worry.

It depends on the uni's rules and the terms and conditions around how you paid, so don't take this for granted.

At my Masters uni, you had a discount for paying the entire year's fees up front in advance. You would only be given a refund if you dropped out within thirty days of the start of the course. After that, the entire fee was forfeit - this was stated clearly in the Terms & Conditions on the discount web page and wasn't hidden in small print.

If you chose to pay in two instalments during the course, you forfeited the entire first term's fees if you dropped out during that term. If you dropped out after your second payment (due in the second term) then you got no fee refund at all.

Each uni can set its own rules and regs at Masters level, so do some research where you are - don't assume that you'll automatically get any fees refunded if you drop out.

Ah, right! Just at my current uni and my old uni if you dropped out you could get a refund for the second terms fees if you dropped out before it, so presumed that was a fairly accepted rule