What's a good part-time job to apply for with few hours?

Should a central government employee leave his job and go for a master's?

• I am a young Govt. employee with very low workload in my job, all of it being writing letters/tender-documents. Salary is alright. Btech Honors graduate with +9 GPA. But in the job, the "technical me" is as dissatisfied as it gets. This despite the fact that I don't deal with 'too much work' or 'late working hours'. I have tried different jobs in India but haven't got anything technical so far. Is it advisable that I go for higher degree in engineering? There is an element of risk involved here. I am apprehensive about the challenges that I will face in an Advanced Degree in a Foreign Country, and that whether fruits will be as sweet. Because its the question of investing 2 years in terms of time & money & losing the security of a highly competitive (alas non-productive) central govt. job in India. Whats on My Mind when i think of higher degree Abroad? (plz comment whether any of these are true) 1) Better Education.. more focus on research,.. and a chance to get to know the field of Mechanical Engineering closely 2) More Satisfying Job 3) Better Lifestyle.. developed infrastructure & amicable rules of govt or the implementation of those rules.(sans the high taxes though, :P) 4) Better treatment of employees..  flexible working hours (i know it will depend on the particular job) BUT Atleast i think they make us do what they say in offer letter!! (unlike here) 5) Option to create assets in India (that dollar-rupee conv. rate :) ) which may not be possible on my govt. salary. (In India, this links directly to our social reputation). This is however low on priority. And these are risks/What IFs/danger/nightmares I feel I will encounter (plz comment whether any of these are true, :) ) 1) Not getting a Job after MS ... u know! which suits me, and getting it without much ado.. 2) Being a misfit in a foreign culture.. Big doubt!! this will be a problem in case there are less indian/international students.. OR if I think (plz correct me!) i go to a place with language other than English (germany/france) 3) Finding the Education is NOT worth the headache.. nagging professors, non-serious students..etc etc what if they are in as much abundance there as in India.. :) 4) Finances getting the better of me.... I won't go forward without some scholarship. But still, what if finding an Affordable Accommodation becomes too expensive while studying.. or getting an RA/TA is a big deal? 5) There is no time to sleep.. u know due to all the above This is more of an extended question.. on a rather elaborately discussed topic.. BUT plz be kind enough to give genuine advice which may be helpful to anybody who reads this thread !!

• Answer:

  This question compelled me to answer as I get what you are concerned with, so thanks for this A2A. If that helps, I have done masters from in India, then opted for job for a service based MNC, left it for PhD and my ultimate goal is to enter into academia. Let me break this answer into a few points: Background- I presume that you are financially stable, academically strong and an inclination towards technical aspect. You did not mention what you expect from your job and what is the scope in your current job with your current qualification. Also you did not mention which branch you hail from and what are your areas of interest, so I am answering based on a general perception (Trust me, branch, projects, internships are very important for MS and employability after it.) First impression- Sorry to say but the concerns you have mentioned are practical but a little superficial. I would say that don not worry about  the byproducts and identify & address the real issue. Answer- First things first, there is an mental age limit for you to go for higher studies and complete it effectively, because after a while it is difficult to pursue education. I would advice you to do a lot of googling and searching, also since you have a lot of free time now, do a lot of individual research, read a lot of technical papers related to your area of interest. in short, please do utilize this time to find out your passion. Once you know what you really want, you will be confident enough to take a decision on your own. Then the above mentioned concerns would not be relevant. From my personal experience I can say that education of any form will not go to waste but in today's world, purpose of it should be thought out and planned beforehand. Leaving a stable job and pursuing a masters degree for the sake of it just does not make sense. Leaving a stable job and pursuing a masters degree for owns satisfaction/future job prospects/better lifestyle etc. is the risk worth taking, but you will have to be sure in your mind and heart that what do you want, from your job, from your life. Job is not your life, it is a part of it. Your situation is your situation. address it first. Trust me once you make up your mind you will still face those concerns mentioned by you. but they wont look as scary and concerning as they seems to be right now. I am not encouraging you to go for it or discouraging you to give up on it. I am just advising you to analyze the situation yourself and then decide. Trust me there are people who would   like to trade place with you, so don't worry, you are doing fine. Cheers...