PhD, Startup, or Career? 
Mystalic: I jumped into a startup at the end of my college career, but didn't have the burn capital to do it boostrapping.  You may be better off acccumulating a bit of capital before throwing yourself into the start-up (the most rewarding, for most of us).Remember, you can always change your mind and any software company you join does NOT have to be a career - you can quit and start your own start-up at any time if you have the courage.