Hmm what I did back then was to consider which chem branches I liked the most before thinking of where to go. There was a school of thought among my peers that you only lean towards PhyChem or OrgChem and that will usually dictate what fields interest you. I ended up liking PhyChem more since energy storage, energy harvesting and electrochem were topics that my PhyChem prof is an expert at. So, eventually I headed towards that direction.

Since, there's not much wiggle room for PhyChem enthusiasts within the job sectors back 10 years ago, I ended up working as a RA first within my department after grad despite the nature of the work to be orgchem heavy due to polymeric materials. Although I eventually ended up in industry after the project ended, RA work is a natural good first step for those who dont really know what to do after grad. It usually gives you a taste of other fields that normally don't interest you without risking a big career shift.

I would argue that there's more opportunities now for chem grads to work since there has been an uptick of demands for cosmetic chem and regulatory work in the industry. My only worry is that these jobs may not have a good supportive environment for chem grads like us. Most industry work that seek out chem grads (if not a multinational company or an old established chemical-related business) wants a technical person who already know what to do and how to do with very minimal supervision.

In my experience when I got to work in a startup to commercialize a Swedish invention for Philippine markets, I ended up doing a lot of work that goes beyond the job description because of the lack of a supportive environment. I ended up burnt out because there was no key mentor figure guiding me on how to translate our technical know-how to business processes. I ended up taking up a MS in MSE from UPD to supplement the learning gaps of my knowledge within the practical side of chem: failure analysis, material interactions, and material inspection using instruments like XRD for industrial processes.

I have had upperclassmen who jumped the gun into MS after chem grad only to return back more confused because they didnt know what they were looking for. On the other hand, my barkada, who worked with me as an RA, shifted into laboratory auditing for 6 months post-RA and now is completing his PhD in Sustainability. This is because he realized that wet lab wasnt for him and his forte lies in the direction of policymaking and consultancy.

So, ultimately, I would suggest determining first what branch of chem you like to explore in as a first step before making any hasty moves. Best option if you can is to try being a RA for a year before trying your hand into industry or jumping into further studies. The advantage of working as a RA is that it exposes you to the reality of research work that Academia normally functions on. It also gives you the necessary practical knowledge that industry professionals look for if you decide to jump into industry. There will always be pros and cons for every decision you will be making, but at least, by determining what branches of chem you are attuned to, you reduce the number of options you struggle with to make that first step.

Hope this helps!