[DIYbio] Career advice for bioengineering Undergrad

Hi, I was hoping to get some insight into the biotech industry, so I can better make my decision about my future. I would like to know what kind of degree will be required to do research in biotech. I will graduate from college in May 2015 with a Bioengineering degree in Ohio. My main interest is to conduct research in synthetic biology and exciting new biotechnologies. I have worked on several research projects throughout college, working in genetics labs, 2 summers of the iGEM competition, and I am currently doing an internship with a biotech company this summer. 

My original plan was to get a PhD and be able to design my own experiments and guide the direction of my research projects. However more recently I have felt that I would rather just start working and not do any schooling or money spending that is unnecessary (I have been finding that most of the real learning I have been doing has been outside of the classroom). The more management duties and less lab work doesn't sound like something I want. This has made me look into the more independent biotech start up environment, and it seems like something I would really like to do, rather than working for a bigger corporate biotech company. I have also looked into the different biotech incubators that have been made recently (synbio axlr8r, biocurious) and could also see myself working/starting on a project there. 

Things about my job I would really like to have, 1. Freedom to design my own types of experiments and research direction 2. Freedom in work schedule, not standard 9-5 M-F hours 3. Money is not a high priority on my list, I would much rather enjoy everyday I'm working than know I have plenty of money. My DREAM JOB would be a small lab with a few smart people that I can be free to do any kind of research Im excited by, be able to work whenever I am truly motivated to, and lastly have enough income to live modestly (kind of ridiculous, I know but loving what I do is VERY important to me! and I do not see myself settling in any job I don't enjoy). If I could make a career out of doing DIY Bio, I definitely would! 

Also I realize funding is a huge factor in research and one of the biggest limiting factors for startups, but I could see myself enjoying working on a really cool project and using kickstarter (like glowing plants project) and finding funding other ways. 

My question is, would I need a Masters or PhD in order to do research in a biotech company (startup or corporate) or would I be able to find work after my bachelors degree? Would a few more internships in biotech (like ginkgo bioworks) be as good as a masters? Would it be worth it for me to get the more years of schooling so I am more marketable? To be honest, I would much rather find work right away because I have really grown tired of the academic environment, but on the other hand I would be willing to do more schooling if that is the only option because I do not want to be unqualified for biotech research and be stuck making reagents all day. Any advice/insight/regrets/realizations would be greatly appreciated!   

-Corey