lilbladerunner

Great point; thanks! I'm keeping my eye out for other positions that have technical components that I'm interested in. I'm just worried I would immediately exclude myself from the competition by not having the necessary technical background. The Master's does have a mandatory research/thesis component of 6-8 months in which I hope to gain experience in technical areas such as environmental modelling, quality monitoring, soil analysis, etc. to eventually work as a technical advisor, for example.

Very helpful; thanks! I guess the question would be to what extent does moving to a different (applied ecology) but very related field (to geography) require a second Master's and not just additional work experience. Academic research is definitely not on the radar for now; so that would leave the PhD out of the question until the future. However, could I be jeopardizing my chances for a future PhD if I receive a second Master's with lower grades than the first one? Or is it a plus regardless? Tricky decision...

I am very lost in my decision-making at the moment and would love anyone's thoughts and advice on my situation; I'll be as brief as possible: My background: - Finished an MSc at LSE in sustainable development 2 years ago with somewhat good grades (distinction). - Have a background in Geography and Economics, but I'm looking to improve my technical skills, e.g. mapping, environmental analysis, etc., nothing which I learned at LSE (my MSc was very policy-oriented). - Have just received an offer for an MSc in Applied Ecology in Europe from a relatively unknown university with a full scholarship (2 years). - This program would definitely provide me all the technical skills I need to get into more applied/on-the-field environmental analysis work; and my academic supervisor seems to be doing exactly the research that I'm very interested in. - However, perhaps with my current MSc from LSE, I could transition directly into a more a technical PhD or gain the technical skills at work. - Am currently working with an environmental consultancy in Latin America. It's satisfying work but not my passion; too much economics/policy and too little field and technical experience. My questions: 1) Should I continue working in a job that is not my passion and look for other job opportunities where I could learn more technical skills on-the-job? (I'm worried I would be underqualified to find more technical positions without the proper background); 2) Should I take the 2nd Master's to provide me with the technical skills needed to transition to a job I would be more passionate about? (I'm worried a 2nd Master's will make me seem unfocused if I want to pursue a PhD one day, or will make me seem too academic if I want to enter the workforce again. I would be 30 when I finish with around 4 years of combined work experience); 3) Should I stay on the job, skip the 2nd Master's, and apply to a PhD directly in a few years (I'm worried admissions will consider my lack of a technical background as a major drawback for more applied/technical environmental PhD programs). Thank you all for your help and suggestions; I would really appreciate it!