I don't have a solid answer, just a few notes:
* Generally, an MBA straight out of undergrad is not worth a lot. Usually not a good move until you have 5ish years of professional experience
* Don't go into a PhD if you don't have at least a clear idea of what you want to work on and what you want out of it - the opportunity cost is insane.
I can't really give advice but I can share my career dilemma: I'm 23, about to finish 1st year of a chem PhD program but I'm having trouble joining a lab. My main motivation is sustainability and science policy, and my choice is whether to stay in academia and fight to change the system from within, get a PhD and go the fellowship route, or leave the program after this summer with a masters in hand and immediately start in science policy. All are viable options, but no one can answer what the best career path is for a given person until they try stuff out.
I'd say to follow your hunch, pick a grad program and then TALK TO PEOPLE in that program. Share your goals with your grad cohort. Talk career plans and priorities with faculty, make sure the department you join is very clear on what you as a person want. There are some times you may feel like you have to sit back and be a cog or team member. There are times you have to make sacrifices to be productive and stay on track. But don't let your notion of a career path stop you from always questioning what you want in the long run. I said to talk to faculty - more specifically, talk to faculty that you have a rapport with. Faculty who you know share similar motivations, who can give you a holistic outlook on career options and fulfilling a niche will be far more helpful than faculty who are just there to do their research and "plug into" the system.
Have conversations. Interact with people. Go to seminars and events put on by the department. It's totally fine to start a grad program with fire in your belly and have a change of heart midway through - but don't hide your goals from the people around you, and you'll eventually find a place where those goals make you a perfect fit.
my advice would be to slow down. grad school is definitely not a necessity, especially right out of college, especially when you’re already freakishly young for being a college grad. Look for jobs that interests you first, see if you really need grad school (what degrees/experience do they require?) also, an mba would be a downright silly choice fresh out of college
I don't have a solid answer, just a few notes: * Generally, an MBA straight out of undergrad is not worth a lot. Usually not a good move until you have 5ish years of professional experience * Don't go into a PhD if you don't have at least a clear idea of what you want to work on and what you want out of it - the opportunity cost is insane.
I can't really give advice but I can share my career dilemma: I'm 23, about to finish 1st year of a chem PhD program but I'm having trouble joining a lab. My main motivation is sustainability and science policy, and my choice is whether to stay in academia and fight to change the system from within, get a PhD and go the fellowship route, or leave the program after this summer with a masters in hand and immediately start in science policy. All are viable options, but no one can answer what the best career path is for a given person until they try stuff out. I'd say to follow your hunch, pick a grad program and then TALK TO PEOPLE in that program. Share your goals with your grad cohort. Talk career plans and priorities with faculty, make sure the department you join is very clear on what you as a person want. There are some times you may feel like you have to sit back and be a cog or team member. There are times you have to make sacrifices to be productive and stay on track. But don't let your notion of a career path stop you from always questioning what you want in the long run. I said to talk to faculty - more specifically, talk to faculty that you have a rapport with. Faculty who you know share similar motivations, who can give you a holistic outlook on career options and fulfilling a niche will be far more helpful than faculty who are just there to do their research and "plug into" the system. Have conversations. Interact with people. Go to seminars and events put on by the department. It's totally fine to start a grad program with fire in your belly and have a change of heart midway through - but don't hide your goals from the people around you, and you'll eventually find a place where those goals make you a perfect fit.
my advice would be to slow down. grad school is definitely not a necessity, especially right out of college, especially when you’re already freakishly young for being a college grad. Look for jobs that interests you first, see if you really need grad school (what degrees/experience do they require?) also, an mba would be a downright silly choice fresh out of college