Postgrad Opportunities Help

I am returning after a slightly long break, but I did it! I was very stressed initially (probably guessed by my older gloomy posts), but everything has fallen into place. I now have an offer for a fully paid postgraduate scheme at one of the top unis with a salary and a research internship, I just need the end of UG grades now.  

This doesn’t mean I don’t want to pursue finance as a career path anymore. My undergrad was very rough, and due to constant family issues and lack of funds I couldn’t really do internships. Now, I’m in a wholly different situation and I can afford to commute or relocate for internship duration (I’m in the UK btw). What would you recommend for a master’s or a PhD student focusing on ML and data science who has a lot of experience in consulting/finance societies and projects, but no experience in the real-world industry? How can I leverage my UG background (ancient languages) and new background (CompSci)? Should I basically aim for off-cycles, or maybe something else? What firms are especially welcoming for postgrads, and how should I approach applications from September 2025? I would welcome any advice.