Stressed about potential job change

Stressed about potential job change

I’m a recent physics graduate. I got a job working as an analyst two months ago. It’s in a sector I don’t really care for much, but I love the work life balance and my team. I get paid well and am mwant to work 37hrs a week but really only work for 28hrs. The work is sometimes rewarding tho often I’m left to my own devices. My boss said he wants us to spend 20% of our time on our own personal projects that we find personally rewarding, so I do get much free time. I notice that I could upskill myself in this time but I am someone who struggles to motivate themself. Maybe that’s just the solution. I also wfh 4/5 days and the office is only 30mins journey from my house, just outside of a train station.

I initially wanted to work in medical device development and just received an internship at Oxford within this. It’s 6 weeks long, however I need to request 6 weeks off !! I’m not sure how to do this after only starting 2 months ago or if I should just quit then do the next job instead. I really want to do this scholarship. Perhaps I’ll do a masters in future relating to this, but it is a passion that I feel I need to see to the end at least. The internship will help me decide what I want to do for sure and if I want to really pursue that sector.

So I have two issues. Figure out how to do the Oxford internship and also figure out if I want to move job. As I also got a job offer in a more exciting field, as a business analyst at BAE systems. This would start in September. The job seems more exciting as it would be as a consultant in national security. I’m not sure what the work life balance will be like - it seems like it would be more stressful. It’s also 1.5hrs travel from home tho they say flexible hours but I’m unsure of the details. They can’t say as often consulting involves travelling to client sites as well. I’d also be paid £2k less, though future earning potential would potentially be higher.

With the current analyst role I could end up being stagnant, tho more due to my own laziness perhaps. I do have the freedom to do much. It’s a recent small company that grew to be fairly large.

My priorities:

• Work life balance (includes commute and flexible working/work from home)
• Career development and growth
• Mental health (tied into work life balance, enjoying work, and liking my team)
• Salary (both current and future potential)

I haven’t been at this role for long. So I could just apply to BAE in future even if I want to. I’m not entirely sure what my career trajectory will be like so I’m not sure what I want to do most and what would help me get there. I’m happy where I am currently working, but wonder if I’d be dismissing an exciting opportunity.