For Chemistry, go with the Ph.D. Here's why. Having the Ph.D. at the end of your name gets emails answered. Having the Ph.D. gets you access to collaborators. It's a huge differentiator. It makes you an expert, which you need to be in Chemistry. Anyone can do a startup, very few people finish a Ph.D. When you're finished, you'll have access to hundreds of thousands of government R&D dollars which you will otherwise not have, which can translate to a huge advantage. Ph.D. dropouts who hit it big are usually in the right place at the right time, in addition to being smart, but that's unlikely to happen to you.
One word of advice- when you're finished, don't try to blend the university with your business (by splitting a company with your professor, for example), that never works.
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For Chemistry, go with the Ph.D. Here's why. Having the Ph.D. at the end of your name gets emails answered. Having the Ph.D. gets you access to collaborators. It's a huge differentiator. It makes you an expert, which you need to be in Chemistry. Anyone can do a startup, very few people finish a Ph.D. When you're finished, you'll have access to hundreds of thousands of government R&D dollars which you will otherwise not have, which can translate to a huge advantage. Ph.D. dropouts who hit it big are usually in the right place at the right time, in addition to being smart, but that's unlikely to happen to you.
One word of advice- when you're finished, don't try to blend the university with your business (by splitting a company with your professor, for example), that never works.
I heard that Ph.D.s are very important in chemistry, too.
> Anyone can do a startup, very few people finish a Ph.D.
A lot of people can start a Ph.D. I do not know how many people `finish' a startup.