Considering withdrawal from part-time Masters Degree to focus on a new job

Hi folks, really struggling with this and seeking some thoughts and opinions or advice.

I am in my mid-30's and have worked in IT Technical Support roles in the Public Sector most of my career. By 2022, I had become burnt out with my career and could see that I had almost become trapped in an IT Helpdesk role with no real opportunity to progress beyond my current grade 5 pay scale. Since 2022, I have been studying towards a career pivot/transition from the IT Helpdesk into the field of Cybersecurity. I have completed various professional certifications and also returned to academic education by successfully completing a part-time level 8 higher diploma in Cybersecurity Risk & Compliance through the Springboard+ initiative.

It is my preference to remain in the Public Sector, but I hadn't anticipated that there would be so few Cybersecurity jobs in the Public Sector. I was successful in an EO competition in Cybersecurity with the Civil Service, but at the 11th hour I was told that they wouldn't match my current grade 5 (Local Authority) salary as they deemed it more in line with a HEO grade. So I then applied for a HEO competition in Cybersecurity with the Civil Service and didn't even qualify for an interview since I didn't have the required number of years of experience in a dedicated Cybersecurity role. So I found myself in the very difficult position of not having enough experience for anything other than an entry-level Cybersecurity role, yet I couldn't afford to accept such a role due to the significant pay cut from my current role.

Not wanting to give up, I decided to pursue a part-time level 9 MSc in Cybersecurity Management again through the Springboard+ initiative. Having completed the level 8 HDip, I thought I would be well prepared for it, but I have found it extremely challenging to keep up with the workload from a time-management point of view. I am currently in the process of moving house, which has added an additional layer of stress. Having never lived away from my parents before, I am striving to become more domesticated and manage my own home. On top of all that, I have caring responsibilities for a profoundly disabled parent living miles away, so I am long-distance travelling on a regular basis. I have already faced the penalty of losing marks for submitting some of my assignments late. I spoke to my course director to explain that I was considering withdrawing from the course as I am really struggling to cope with the demands. Unfortunately, since it is a Sprinbgoard+ funded course, there are no options to defer. I was worried that withdrawing would permanently bar me from future funding, but Springboard assured me that I could reapply after two years.

Given that there were no sideways steps in terms of Grade 5 Cybersecurity roles, I decided to start applying for Grade 6 Cybersecurity roles in the Public Sector mainly to gain interview experience. To my surprise, on my 2nd interview, I successfully finished first in the order of merit, and I will be officially offered a grade 6 Cybersecurity role with a Local Authority in early 2025. I was only really doing the Masters degree to try to help land a job, but now that I have finally landed the job, I am wondering if it is even worth putting myself through this struggle any longer. Rarely have I encountered a job application that lists a level 9 MSc as an eligibility requirement, and even in those cases, it only appears as desirable criteria rather than essential. I am also starting to get imposter syndrome since I will be stepping up from a grade 5 to a grade 6 into a new field of Cybersecurity that I have never worked in before. This has me thinking if it might make more sense to withdraw from the MSc to focus on learning and adapting to this new job role and gaining practical experience actually working in Cybersecurity as opposed to worrying about adding more educational qualifications at this point in time in my career. My only lingering concern is that if I drop out, I might never return to pursuing an MSc, or I might not have the time due to potential child-rearing obligations. As I struggle to finish this first semester, I can't imagine how I'll finish the next three. I wish the decision was simpler, but my family and friends are worried about my mental health and believe I've taken on more than I can handle.