I had more freedom as a co-op than I ever did as an engineer. It's a good gig. Aside from the pay. Which is still better than most liberal arts grads make for a good long time, so even that's pretty good. As far as "outside forces" you will never escape them. I'm a straight-up freelancer now and I still have political shit to deal with. All you can do is preserve your own autonomy. I've watched engineering schools chase fuel cells since '96. They aren't appreciably closer than they were back then. Wanna have fun as a startup-minded chemE? Biofuel, bitch. There's guys turning algae into fuel. There's guys turning chicken parts into fuel. Hell, there's guys turning chicken feathers into plastic. Save the world, get a big fat grant. Or come up with a biodegradable K-cup. Kickstart that shit.