* I tried to cover the most common conversations I have with undergraduate students, but this neither covers all cases nor accounts for all nuance.

** Seek other sources and opinions! This is based on informal research, reading, and conversations I've collected over the years, but some of it is anecdotal and possibly biased. I only have direct career experience in academia.

*** This is only meant to be an overview of what credentials you might need for a given career path. There is a lot more than this to consider, including the competitiveness of each path, funding prospects, job prospects, risks and benefits, and whether the day-to-day reality is really what you're looking for. Seek further advising on these questions!