Research at a university is an excellent time to do whatever you want. I would plan on doing it self-funded if you need to, and just start working on interestin

Research at a university is an excellent time to do whatever you want. I would plan on doing it self-funded if you need to, and just start working on interesting problems. Don't let the bullshit of academia get in your way. You don't need to go to too many useless conferences or publish more than you think makes sense. Most programs will let you leave early with an MA, so may as well start with a PhD program.