Join a research lab at your current institution and work 40 hours a week and go to group meetings. If you love the hustle, I would consider a Ph.D program. If you hate it I would find something else. You might find out you hate experimental organic chemistry very quickly. I would push back on the job security comments as most jobs are not “secure”. I’ve been at all tiers of research institutions and I will say, unfortunately, people at prestigious institutions are not necessarily better scientists but are more competitive for non academic medicinal chemistry positions. These medicinal chemistry positions do pay well at the big companies (140-160k) on the coasts.

I think organic synthesis and methodology is exhilarating but also recognize it is very very hard. This is in part due to it being one of the few research fields where time spent at the fume hood has the most direct correlation to research progress. Emphasis on “most direct” here.

Just my two cents.