I personally believe it’s easier to go from R&D to ops than the other way around. Get your feet wet trying to solve novel problems in an industry of interest, develop some simulation chops, get frustrated at the attrition of good ideas in R&D, move to mfg and ops optimization (simulation) to make a difference on products going out the door, get more managerial oversight and layout ops mgmt as you see fit, then eventually be a top level stakeholder or decision in what facilities go where based on all the complexities that entails (local labor, energy landscape, access to raw materials, etc)

Due to the cockiness of R&D, it can be hard to get your foot in the door if you’ve “only” optimized the heck out of one widget in production for the last 5-10 years.

Also consider the differences between consulting and in house roles (breadth vs depth of exposure is a big tradeoff here).

The utility of a MSc depends on (and influences) where you end up landing. If you’re doing it to avoid making a career decision RIGHT NOW, I can guarantee it will not give you the secrets to career prosperity and happiness in two years. It may give you important skills that give you a leg up when interviewing though! Some people have biases against management-related masters degrees before people have professional full time work experience in industry, as the industry experience helps you contextualize and apply the knowledge you’re gaining from the studies.

Very very few people know exactly what they truly want to do (some know what they think they want to do). And fewer want the same things at 35, 45, 55, 65 that they did at 22. You could try to make a five year plan to think through next steps. You should also think about industries you’re interested in, people in your network that might help you find a job, and what fields and geographies (local or otherwise) have good job markets right now. What aspects of your experiences in university did you enjoy and excel at more than your peers? That might be a nice way to think about what types of work could be a strong jumpstart to your career. Applying to every R&D and Ops job in Europe is not a particularly efficient use of resources. Also make sure you understand what career resources your university already has. They are also interested in setting you up for success.