I agree that for work in the UK a Master's may be less important. I took one because I believed I'd be working on the Continent where a BSc wouldn't be seen as

I agree that for work in the UK a Master's may be less important. I took one because I believed I'd be working on the Continent where a BSc wouldn't be seen as a real degree and a PhD would look a bit ivory tower (I had a choice to follow either). ~30Y later after running start-ups and working with companies of all sizes, but none on the Continent, I am starting a PhD because I have an issue that I really want to research and resolve: I'm a bit late for it to be a career boost, whatever a 'career' is. B^> I'm glad that I followed the MSc for many reasons, and especially if we are going to scoot along the edge of a recession for a while, maybe you could finesse that also by doing a Master's.