u/Beautiful-Bonus2279

I want to specialise early

How many rounds of interviews? Did entry level jobs require internship experience?

I got an undergraduate MEng degree from a very good university in the UK with a grade that’s equivalent to a 1.x. Then I was unemployed for four years because I didn’t do internships and had nothing to put on my CV. I had pretty much given up on job hunting after two years.

I heard that PhDs in Germany are officially jobs, and they care about grades and skills more than prior experience (unlike grad schemes in the UK). If I do a two year research masters in my field in the UK such that I gain research skills and relevant knowledge to the PhD field, get good references and a good thesis to talk about in interviews, am I still going to be killed by the four year gap when I apply to the PhD?

By which I mean things like:

1. Financially independent from parents by 18 (or owe debt instead of gifted money)

2. Have full jurisdiction for all major life decisions, including university major choice, career choice, relationships, marriage. Does not ask for permission from or pay any respects to relatives

3. Does not conform to Confucian rituals or rules like 弟子规, possibly sees them as stupid and limiting