Thanks for all the replies everyone! I apologize for the delay. I like that you replied in a form that you are willing to give me a reality check if my aspirations are unrealistic or off-base because this is a very important decision. I certainly don't want to get in over my head by making a mistake or jump into any irrational decisions.
I'll tackle all your replies up to this point as they came in:
zelman: I currently am debt free (hooray!), so am I still looking at $100,000+ of oncoming debt? Are there any suggested forms or places I should look for financial aid if that is the case? I definitely will look to see if there are any scholarships specifically geared towards a situation similar to mine. My goal is to get accepted and placed into an in-state pharmacy school, but I certainly won't limit myself to staying in-state. I'm also curious what you mean about the 2019 job market; will it be a "bear" market for pharmacists at that juncture? Are there more pharmacists expected to enter the market than the amount expected to leave/retire?
Reirrac: I'm interested in pharmacy for a few reasons. First and foremost, I very much enjoy being a part of the medical field. I have a keen interest in biochemistry (and chemistry/biology in general for that matter) and am fascinated at how the body operates by whatever mechanisms necessary to function properly. As I implied earlier, I currently work in a field that utilizes this information; however, I have found that my personality may be less suited to the engineering side of things as I am more of a people person. I like interacting with a variety of people on a daily basis and sharing my knowledge and helping others gain insight they may not have previously had. I'm also interested in having a more broad spectrum of knowledge of the variety of pharmaceuticals and what their indications and mechanisms are, as I only work with a few at most currently. In addition, to be completely honest, a fair compensation for the skills and attributes I bring forth is also a factor, and I believe a career as a pharmacist would allow for this. I'm not looking to become super rich but, if I'm going to put in the time and effort, I want to be able to pay for the debt I've accrued from my work and then live a comfortable life where I am able to pursue the endeavors I enjoy outside of work. I also feel there is prestige that goes with being a pharmacist and I would enjoy that appreciation. These are the bases that I suppose lay the foundation for my interest in pursuing this type of career but I hope I can elaborate further once we've continued our discussion and you've picked it apart a bit (or a lot).
I have taken a lot of what I know to be the prerequisite coursework for pharmacy school including the ones you've listed. I am sure I'm rusty on a lot of the finer details though but, luckily, I kept most of my textbooks and hope that I could relearn any forgotten information more easily the second time around with help from a tutor perhaps, if necessary. It might even be kind of fun (then again what am I saying!) This would be necessary for me to do well on the PCAT like you mentioned. Can you give me some insight on the PCAT and what I should expect along with some hints/tips for success?
BidingMyTime: Since you replied to the final point made by Reirrac, I figured I would address that here. I will let it be known that I'm not particularly satisfied in my current role, thus, why I'm looking at other options. I thought about possibly getting on as a tech at a local pharmacy that I have friends/spouses of friends working at eventually, especially if the feedback I get persuades me to really go after it. This is all very circumstantial, but it is also nice knowing that this may not be a necessity. We should discuss the pros and cons of both pursuing work experience vs. not further though.
Dalteparin: I shadowed a variety of health occupations during the last year and a half of high school and into my initial semester of college to get an initial, small sample towards understanding the various options available. Pharmacy, then medicine, then optometry even were the main fields I was interested in during this time. It wasn't until later that I switched over to biochemical engineering when it became a newer program offered. I was very solid in the sciences and had to catch up on math but my reasoning was that it would allow me more flexibility than a pre-med degree (biology degree, in essence) if I didn't want to pursue a quaternary-type of school after undergrad. Fast forward a few years and I'm open to pursuing those options to better suit myself.
Again thank you so much for the responses and for any further insight you or anybody else might venture to offer! Big decisions have to be made (or not made) and I appreciate the help in opening my eyes so that I can see clearly what's best for me.
