what field are you in? my thoughts:
1) start a company.
2) join a small, ambitious startup.
3) go to grad school.

big companies suck the life out of you.

I personally would prefer joining a corporation for the start. With due respect, joining a startup is a great learning experience. But as a fresh graduate, you might want to take job stability since you are fresh out of school..(just like me)..

Of course, for me, its about paying back the loan. And a startup at this stage might not be the best choice. But I would love!! to join a startup with maybe 3 - 4 years experience under my belt. That way, I feel I bring more to the table.

You should think about what your long-term goals are. Having said that, that might not be so clear to you early in your career. However, you can ask yourself a few questions, such as (i)Is stability and pre-defined paths more important to you or do you do better in an entrepreneurial setting? Big corporations tend to have career paths that are more well mapped out (you know what the next position will be if you get promoted) (ii) Startups give you the opportunity to take on multiple roles (e.g. marketing, manufacturing, sales, etc.) in the organization, however, you spend more time fire-fighting daily issues as startups do not have as much structure compared to the more well-established organizations. (iii) You should think about what industry you are passionate about. It helps when you work in an industry that you are excited about. (iv) The decision to join grad. school should preferably be made only after you know which industry you would like to work in. To find the answer to that, you may need to acquire some work experience first. However, some people can make that decision without work experience if they love their undergrad major. (v) It is also helpful to contact alums to get their advice.