How many graduates work away from their school?

[bmclinn]

Do many graduates leave their school and find work away from their alma mater? I understand you will have less professional connections, which I think are becoming more and more important, but exactly how hard is this?

I'm curious because I have offers from 4 schools, one of which I fell in love with the city and could see myself living the rest of my life there. But it's about 35k oos, then 24k instate (assuming I can claim residence, independent, etc). The other program im considering has given me 15k/yr but I don't want to stay in that area for too long. Also, I have 0 loans as of now and want to minimize that.

Basically debt vs. potential happiness

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[hurx]

Is the school that is giving you $15k/yr open to providing you rotations in the city of your choosing? If they are willing to provide you with rotations in the city you want to live in then you would have a better chance of building strong connections that could lead to a job offer. It's still not guaranteed though.

 

[confettiflyer]

Tough... but my first inclination is to take the cheaper school, and note that even if you're "stuck" working nearby because of professional network, put in your 2-3 years and then apply to your dream location as an experienced pharmacist.

Other considerations: are you considering doing a residency after school? Geographic network ties are less important there, it's very common for residents to come from other parts of the country. Also, what's the bottom line tuition & cost of living amounts you're considering? And the expected starting salary at both metropolitan areas, as well as the job markets in those areas? We only see part of the picture here. I'm pretty sure the $15k/yr discount school still comes out ahead.

 

[bmclinn]

I would likely not be able to get a rotation in my dream location, its about 4 states away and I'm not from that area. The more expensive school is also a more expensive city so I'm guessing it would lead to a bit of a higher salary, most likely its negligible though. I had not considered the residency relocation, thats a great point!

Both job markets are pretty similar I believe. Each school is very well established with a good alumni base and only competes with one other pharmD in the state. Theres no other pharmD within 100mi of the more expensive one; the less expensive has 1 pharmD within 60mi, then no other within 170mi.

Thank you both for you responses

 

[mustang sally]

I actually think it is more common for people to leave the city where they did their PharmD. There just aren't enough jobs in a college town to support a graduating class every year. Though in your larger cities, you may see less scattering.

While your professional connections are definitely important, it's not that difficult to move to a different city or even another part of the country to find a job. Also your connections will still play an important role even if you relocate by providing you with references or by being familiar with pharmacists and employers in other areas of the country.

I would go with the cheaper school as well. I don't think you have to worry about being stuck in the city where you go to pharmacy school-more likely the opposite will be the case.

 

[bmclinn]

I actually think it is more common for people to leave the city where they did their PharmD. There just aren't enough jobs in a college town to support a graduating class every year. Though in your larger cities, you may see less scattering.

While your professional connections are definitely important, it's not that difficult to move to a different city or even another part of the country to find a job. Also your connections will still play an important role even if you relocate by providing you with references or by being familiar with pharmacists and employers in other areas of the country.

I would go with the cheaper school as well. I don't think you have to worry about being stuck in the city where you go to pharmacy school-more likely the opposite will be the case.

If I were to start at a retail chain right out of school, are there ways to relocate or are most people stuck for a few years in that location? I feel like chains have so many stores that maybe its easier to relocate? Then you could use references from within the company as well to help further your cause

 

[BidingMyTime]

College towns are the most saturated of all, the vast majority of graduates do not work in the city in which they graduated.

 

[gwarm01]

My first job was over 1300 miles away from my school. You can make it happen.

 

[bmclinn]

Appreciate all the input! It's definitely helped make this decision much easier