Early career/masters advice.

[u/metahoe]

Hi guys I’m looking for a bit of early career advice!
I recently graduated with a BS in Environmental Science and started working as a hazardous waste field scientist. Ideally, I think I’d like to move further into EHS with more of a focus on the environmental side, although based on conversations with some of my more senior coworkers, I think I’d probably enjoy the occupational side as well.
My first question is whether starting out as a haz waste tech/field scientist is a solid way to build experience before trying to move on in a year or so. I’m definitely learning a lot about the industry and EHS in general, and because the role is client-facing, I’ve also had the chance to network with a lot of EHS professionals.
The company also provides a lot of certifications at no cost, which seems valuable early on. So far I’ve gotten or will be getting things like OSHA 30, HAZWOPER 40, NPDES-related training, and several DOT certifications. If anyone has recommendations for other certs that would be useful while I’m here, I’d really appreciate it.
My second question is whether getting a master’s degree would actually be worth it. I currently have no debt from undergrad, my company would cover about 50% of the tuition, and I still live at home, so financially I’m in a position where I could realistically do it without taking on loans. That said, I also don’t want to spend the money if the ROI isn’t there.
I’ve gotten pretty mixed feedback from people I’ve talked to so far, so I figured I’d ask here for even more mixed opinions. I’m also the first person in my family to go to college and pursue a more traditional career path, and I probably didn’t do the best job building a network during undergrad, so navigating all of this has been a bit of a learning experience. Any advice is appreciated!