🍿 5 years of school... for what exactly?

I’m a junior physics major and I have so many possible career paths that I can’t decide between. I’m overwhelmed by the thought of regretting my choice. What if another path would be better for me? What if I waste time? What if, what if, what if… So I just stress out and still can’t decide what to do. The constant fear of making the wrong choice has me frozen.

I could apply for a PhD, which would be five more years in school. After that, I’d want to work in industry, because I don’t think academia is for me. Yet I still want to study nuclear physics, because I really enjoy it. My GPA kind of says otherwise, but still. I could also do a master’s, which would be 1–2 years and that’s a plus. It would probably be in engineering, but I haven’t looked into master’s in physics or what people do after that unless they’re planning on a PhD. Part of the reason I want to do the engineering master’s is because I want to be an entrepreneur. I’m torn between what I enjoy and what feels practical.

There’s also the straight-out-of-undergrad option. I wouldn’t do any further studies. I don’t know much about what I can do with a BSc, but some people strongly suggest it. The biggest problem is I can’t even decide what I want so I don’t know which path to choose.