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Handing in notice at work to undertake Masters

Hi,

After graduating, I applied for a certain Masters course to allow me to specialise within a certain field of work. A job opportunity came up in a similar field however, so I thought it would be ideal to gain some experience/money and ideally not have to undertake postgrad study. Consequently I told my manager in the interview that I wouldn't have to undertake a Masters if I successfully got the job, since it wouldn't be necessary anymore.

However during my time in the role, it became apparent that whilst the job has been enjoyable with a good salary, I didn't see much opportunity to progress and learn, and ultimately would much prefer to specialise in the field that I had initially applied for. As a result I reapplied to the original Msc to which I have been accepted and also granted a scholarship.

The tough part now is having to explain the decision to my manager who won't have seen it coming since they've been under the impression that I abandoned the postgraduate pursuit. To make matters worse, I have never brought up my reverted intentions in our meetings since I didn't think it would help in the matter.

Please could anyone offer advice as to how I can best approach this dreaded meeting in which I will declare my resignation? I feel like I will be betraying my manager in a way.
Two thoughts. I think you should have said prior to this that the experience is not what you wanted; your manage is likely going to say "Well, why didn't you tell us and we could have sorted something!". They might well have too.

People resign every day; not a big deal. Be clear about what you're doing and why, don't get lost in being apologetic. Say it and move on with your life.
You don't need to provide a reason for leaving a position - just hand in your notice, follow the usual niceties (thank you for the opportunity, apologies for any inconvenience, blablabla) and be done with it.

If you want, you can say that you found you didn't have the opportunity to progress in the way you wanted to, and upon reflection you believe an academic path may do so. This may be helpful for them in terms of evaluating the role and what opportunities they offer in it - if they feel they're consistently losing candidates for similar reasons they may implement some more opportunities for further training and progression for future candidates. There is however no obligation for you to do so...
Reply 3
Thank you for your comments and advice.

Original post by Notoriety
Two thoughts. I think you should have said prior to this that the experience is not what you wanted; your manage is likely going to say "Well, why didn't you tell us and we could have sorted something!". They might well have too.

People resign every day; not a big deal. Be clear about what you're doing and why, don't get lost in being apologetic. Say it and move on with your life.


I understand that in hindsight it may have been preferable to have voiced how I've been feeling, but felt it would have only introduced awkwardness since I don't know how the situation could have been improved. A month ago, I enquired about the possibility of moving to another department in the future where the work is more related to the field in mind, but my manager understandably wasn't so keen on this idea.

Original post by artful_lounger
You don't need to provide a reason for leaving a position - just hand in your notice, follow the usual niceties (thank you for the opportunity, apologies for any inconvenience, blablabla) and be done with it.

If you want, you can say that you found you didn't have the opportunity to progress in the way you wanted to, and upon reflection you believe an academic path may do so. This may be helpful for them in terms of evaluating the role and what opportunities they offer in it - if they feel they're consistently losing candidates for similar reasons they may implement some more opportunities for further training and progression for future candidates. There is however no obligation for you to do so...


Some good advice that I'll take it on board. My manager proposed some future training/progression ideas in our development meeting which makes it all the harder to justify my leaving. I think it boils down to wanting to invest in my future and expanding my skillset - I always think that if I were made redundant in 10 years, I don't think I would have much to show from my time in the role.
Reply 4
Can you hack education though? It's very hard to stop education and then go back. You are in a stable well paying job, I don't know why you would give that up to go back to education and live on the bread line. I assume you will be using savings to pay for living costs.
Reply 5
I don't know what your goals are, do you want more money or purpose in life? Please explain to me. If you want more money, you can tell your manager and if he or she says no, you look for other jobs.
Reply 6
Original post by ma_long
Can you hack education though? It's very hard to stop education and then go back. You are in a stable well paying job, I don't know why you would give that up to go back to education and live on the bread line. I assume you will be using savings to pay for living costs.


It's been about 2 years since I graduated and understand that it will take some adjusting. There was a 2 year gap between my A Levels and Bsc and I gradually managed to get back into the swing of things. Having said that however, I'm especially anxious because the Msc is very difficult and whilst my BSc covered some of the underlying material, a lot of it will be new to me.

The scholarship pays for the course and offers a stipend on top of it which will help me to pay for my living costs; I won't have to take out any loans.

Original post by ma_long
I don't know what your goals are, do you want more money or purpose in life? Please explain to me. If you want more money, you can tell your manager and if he or she says no, you look for other jobs.


Good questions.. more money is always a bonus but it boils down to personal growth and working in a more interesting field. The jobs in the field are quite specialised and require a Masters degree, otherwise I would definitely be considering changing jobs rather than undertaking further study.

Throwing away financial stability and a good working life for a MSc is something I'm willing to risk, along with the fact that employment is not guaranteed - I would rather take it on now than live with regrets, since it won't be so feasible when held down by a mortgage and children.
Reply 7
Original post by Anonymous
It's been about 2 years since I graduated and understand that it will take some adjusting. There was a 2 year gap between my A Levels and Bsc and I gradually managed to get back into the swing of things. Having said that however, I'm especially anxious because the Msc is very difficult and whilst my BSc covered some of the underlying material, a lot of it will be new to me.

The scholarship pays for the course and offers a stipend on top of it which will help me to pay for my living costs; I won't have to take out any loans.



Good questions.. more money is always a bonus but it boils down to personal growth and working in a more interesting field. The jobs in the field are quite specialised and require a Masters degree, otherwise I would definitely be considering changing jobs rather than undertaking further study.

Throwing away financial stability and a good working life for a MSc is something I'm willing to risk, along with the fact that employment is not guaranteed - I would rather take it on now than live with regrets, since it won't be so feasible when held down by a mortgage and children.


Ok fair enough, to me it looks like you've thought things through. Remember you will need to be looking for a job towards the middle of the MSc.
Reply 8
Original post by ma_long
Ok fair enough, to me it looks like you've thought things through. Remember you will need to be looking for a job towards the middle of the MSc.


Yes, not sure how I will tackle the job interviews and the intensive studying but it will have to be done.

Can I ask, have you undertaken any postgrad study?
Original post by artful_lounger
You don't need to provide a reason for leaving a position - just hand in your notice, follow the usual niceties (thank you for the opportunity, apologies for any inconvenience, blablabla) and be done with it.

If you want, you can say that you found you didn't have the opportunity to progress in the way you wanted to, and upon reflection you believe an academic path may do so. This may be helpful for them in terms of evaluating the role and what opportunities they offer in it - if they feel they're consistently losing candidates for similar reasons they may implement some more opportunities for further training and progression for future candidates. There is however no obligation for you to do so...


I agree
Original post by Anonymous
Yes, not sure how I will tackle the job interviews and the intensive studying but it will have to be done.

Can I ask, have you undertaken any postgrad study?


Yes I'm doing a PhD now, but I did my MSc straight after the BSc. It is hard coming back to study after not doing exams, like now I would struggle to study as PhD is mainly research and not exams.

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