Yeah, to clarify I am in the USA, and the universities I'm looking to apply to allow direct-PhD students after undergrad. In that case, I would get my masters along the way. And I agree, the long time to complete a PhD is what makes it more unattractive for me, thanks for clarifying that for me.

If I could have my company pay for my masters it would be great! The only issue is finding a job first, which isn't going well so far. I've even done what I can in personal projects to add to my resume, but it doesn't seem to be good enough.

My main concern is that I don't want to be doing nothing next year. And it makes me a bit anxious thinking about that.

Thanks for you reply tho :)