In my senior year of undergrad and having second thoughts about pharmacy

[Ramenoodles]

I have worked as a pharmacy tech and honestly didn't have the best experience. My pharmacy manager was someone who seemed like she hated her job and it looked like if given a second chance she would never choose this career path...I just don't wanna be this person when i'm 40 who always complains about their job and has the same regrets. Also, for some reason it feels like patients are never truly happy to see a pharmacist as they are with other health care professionals...they don't treat pharmacists with the same respect (as far as i've seen). It's like they just want their pills and yell at you if you don't have it ready the second they step in the door. Plus I hate it when they come over to check out their groceries like bro I didn't spend all these years studying just to check out your eggs and pack of twinkies???

I know other fields of pharmacy exist, i'm looking into hospital pharm and it seems interesting. I like the hospital setting but everyone says they overwork you like a dead horse so not particularly keen on that...I'm in my senior year so the clock is ticking, and I still have absolutely no idea as to what I wanna do for the rest of my life. I'm researching other options like optometry, dentistry, and even med school and trying to compare them to pharmacy to see if i still wanna do it or if there's a better option for me, but i'm still really confused. I just want to go into a field with flexible hours decent enough to start a family, good vacation time, nice pay, and a growing job outlook...any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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[King2440]

I just want to go into a field with flexible hours decent enough to start a family, good vacation time, nice pay, and a growing job outlook...any advice would be greatly appreciated!

If that’s what you want, it’s not pharmacy. You get 12-14 hour days, pay decreasing, workload increasing and who knows where we will be in 5 years.

 

[PharmtoCS]

I just want to go into a field with flexible hours decent enough to start a family, good vacation time, nice pay, and a growing job outlook...any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Computer science or engineering would probably be the best choice. These professions offer pretty much what you listed to a far greater extent compared to pharmacy, and most importantly do not require you to take out $200k+ in loans and spend an additional 4 years of your life in school. Pharmacy is a sinking ship right now with record numbers of new grads each year and pharmacies closing or consolidating.

Many software developement and engineering positions actually allow you to work from home to some extent which gives even more flexibility.

 

[BC_89]

...I'm in my senior year so the clock is ticking, and I still have absolutely no idea as to what I wanna do for the rest of my life. I'm researching other options like optometry, dentistry, and even med school and trying to compare them to pharmacy to see if i still wanna do it or if there's a better option for me, but i'm still really confused. I just want to go into a field with flexible hours decent enough to start a family, good vacation time, nice pay, and a growing job outlook...any advice would be greatly appreciated!

We have a name for what you described: Flexible hours, decent income for family, good vacation time, and growing job outlook: It's called the American Dream.

You may think the clock is "ticking" since you're a senior, but in your situation this is the best time to work for a year after college and see for yourself what it is you want to do. You came to the conclusion of pharmacy because you worked as a technician. I call that progress. Keep doing the same thing for physicians, PAs, NPs, Physical Therapists, Dentists, etc. I have even heard of many doing respiratory therapy jobs or working as EMT techs to collect on "Healthcare Experience" some programs expect you to have (specifically, PA schools).

Take a year to figure out what appeals to you. If what I highlighted is all that you're seeking, you need to look outside of healthcare. You wont find many careers hitting all that you highlighted in the health-profession side of the house. It's better to shadow and observe now then to rush into something you may regret after 3-4 decades of clocking in and out.

 

[VictorOfHungerGames]

I have worked as a pharmacy tech and honestly didn't have the best experience. My pharmacy manager was someone who seemed like she hated her job and it looked like if given a second chance she would never choose this career path...I just don't wanna be this person when i'm 40 who always complains about their job and has the same regrets. Also, for some reason it feels like patients are never truly happy to see a pharmacist as they are with other health care professionals...they don't treat pharmacists with the same respect (as far as i've seen). It's like they just want their pills and yell at you if you don't have it ready the second they step in the door. Plus I hate it when they come over to check out their groceries like bro I didn't spend all these years studying just to check out your eggs and pack of twinkies???

I know other fields of pharmacy exist, i'm looking into hospital pharm and it seems interesting. I like the hospital setting but everyone says they overwork you like a dead horse so not particularly keen on that...I'm in my senior year so the clock is ticking, and I still have absolutely no idea as to what I wanna do for the rest of my life. I'm researching other options like optometry, dentistry, and even med school and trying to compare them to pharmacy to see if i still wanna do it or if there's a better option for me, but i'm still really confused. I just want to go into a field with flexible hours decent enough to start a family, good vacation time, nice pay, and a growing job outlook...any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Honestly, it won't matter where you WANT to go since your probability of landing a non-retail job is slim. Being happy is a relative term. I'm happy with what I have but then again I was lucky in landing this job. If you're gonna go into pharmacy, go in knowing that your life could SUCK or eh... somewhat decent lol

 

[mentos]

I just want to go into a field with flexible hours decent enough to start a family, good vacation time, nice pay, and a growing job outlook...any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Oh is that all? Well let's see, pharmacists work evenings, overnights, weekends and holidays. You'll start with two weeks vacation per year and if you're lucky enough to make it to 5 years, you'll get 3 weeks per year. After that, you'll be capped at 4 weeks after 15 freaking years. Expect to miss Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas with your kids. Good luck getting any holiday or school vacation week off, as everyone wants those off. Pay right now is in the low $50s and rumors are it will drop to mid $40s soon with an end goal of $30s. By the time you finish pharmacy school you'll probably have 200-250k in student loans at a high interest rate. so check nice pay off the list. Oh and as for growing job outlook, well Wags is cutting 1.2 billion in overhead which means no raises, cut hours, closing stores and layoffs. Did I mention these things are happening while the stock market is at an all time high, unemployment very low, tremendous job growth across the country in all other fields? Just wait how pharmacy will be when we have a recession!

So pharmacy does not offer anything that you want.

 

[APN-59 rph]

There are plenty of fields screaming for bodies..just not Pharmacy....For me it has always been good paying, stressful, high speed drudgery....for you there will be one (two-three) change...low pay if any at all...Yesterday heard about a 300k phcy school loan.......

 

[Ramenoodles]

Oh is that all? Well let's see, pharmacists work evenings, overnights, weekends and holidays. You'll start with two weeks vacation per year and if you're lucky enough to make it to 5 years, you'll get 3 weeks per year. After that, you'll be capped at 4 weeks after 15 freaking years. Expect to miss Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas with your kids. Good luck getting any holiday or school vacation week off, as everyone wants those off. Pay right now is in the low $50s and rumors are it will drop to mid $40s soon with an end goal of $30s. By the time you finish pharmacy school you'll probably have 200-250k in student loans at a high interest rate. so check nice pay off the list. Oh and as for growing job outlook, well Wags is cutting 1.2 billion in overhead which means no raises, cut hours, closing stores and layoffs. Did I mention these things are happening while the stock market is at an all time high, unemployment very low, tremendous job growth across the country in all other fields? Just wait how pharmacy will be when we have a recession!

So pharmacy does not offer anything that you want.

Backing out now is probably the best bet reading your post gave me anxiety, but guess that's the cold reality of this field. The future of pharmacy seems very uncertain to say the least.

 

[Lubeckd]

I thought healthcare did better in recession

 

[AM77]

Hospital pharmacy does overwork you like crazy. Pharmacy doesn’t have as much flexibility as it used to. It doesn’t matter if you work in hospital or retail. I think hospital hours are worse. At retail, you might have to close the pharmacy at 9pm and work on the weekends.
Medicine has even less flexibility because you’re always on call. Optometry is a dying profession. If you want flexibility, you might want to look into dentistry or podiatry.

 

[mentos]

I thought healthcare did better in recession

Is pharmacy really healthcare? Retail is run like fast food. All corporate cares about is $$$. The health and safety of the patients, I mean customers, is their last priority.

 

[greenteapanacea]

I have worked as a pharmacy tech and honestly didn't have the best experience. My pharmacy manager was someone who seemed like she hated her job and it looked like if given a second chance she would never choose this career path...I just don't wanna be this person when i'm 40 who always complains about their job and has the same regrets. Also, for some reason it feels like patients are never truly happy to see a pharmacist as they are with other health care professionals...they don't treat pharmacists with the same respect (as far as i've seen). It's like they just want their pills and yell at you if you don't have it ready the second they step in the door. Plus I hate it when they come over to check out their groceries like bro I didn't spend all these years studying just to check out your eggs and pack of twinkies???

I know other fields of pharmacy exist, i'm looking into hospital pharm and it seems interesting. I like the hospital setting but everyone says they overwork you like a dead horse so not particularly keen on that...I'm in my senior year so the clock is ticking, and I still have absolutely no idea as to what I wanna do for the rest of my life. I'm researching other options like optometry, dentistry, and even med school and trying to compare them to pharmacy to see if i still wanna do it or if there's a better option for me, but i'm still really confused. I just want to go into a field with flexible hours decent enough to start a family, good vacation time, nice pay, and a growing job outlook...any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Have you looked at teaching?

 

[APN-59 rph]

Have you looked at teaching?

Teaching..Patrolman.....all jobs diving for cover due to max suckage...if and when things go wrong on the job....the honchos start looking around for YOU...i.e. Not them>>

 

[pharmBear]

Hi,
If you want a field where people do not dread coming to you, pharmacy and dentistry are not your best option. Even as a pharmacist, I do not enjoy going to a pharmacy to pick anything up. The line is awful as you know.

What are your strengths? What do you like? Do not pick something blindly just because you are a senior. Its harder to jump out of a frying pan when you are knee deep in it.

 

[PharmtoCS]

I just want to go into a field with flexible hours decent enough to start a family, good vacation time, nice pay, and a growing job outlook...any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Software engineering:

Flexible hours: check. In fact, you can even work from home.

Good vacation time: many companies give unlimited vacation time. Enough said.

Nice pay: check. It pays far better than pharmacy, especially when you take into account student loans and lost earnings opportunity cost while you're in school.

Growing job outlook: there is a huge shortage of software engineers right now. Many software engineers can job hop every few months for a raise of 20% or more. Companies are also giving signing bonuses which pharmacies have stopped giving about 10 years ago. The job outlook for pharmacists is projected to be negative for the next 10 years.

 

[mentos]

Software engineering:

Flexible hours: check. In fact, you can even work from home.

Good vacation time: many companies give unlimited vacation time. Enough said.

Nice pay: check. It pays far better than pharmacy, especially when you take into account student loans and lost earnings opportunity cost while you're in school.

Growing job outlook: there is a huge shortage of software engineers right now. Many software engineers can job hop every few months for a raise of 20% or more. Companies are also giving signing bonuses which pharmacies have stopped giving about 10 years ago. The job outlook for pharmacists is projected to be negative for the next 10 years.

Most people do not have the skills to code, that's why it's in demand. You don't see many people in their 30s and 40s switching careers to become software engineers. These people usually develop their skills starting in grade school.

 

[Lubeckd]

Most people do not have the skills to code, that's why it's in demand. You don't see many people in their 30s and 40s switching careers to become software engineers. These people usually develop their skills starting in grade school.

That's true. You got to be a real introvert as well. Right now I'm just dealing with data but the interview process needs many projects. Afterwards it's a lot of algorithmns which even computer science majors get confused on. Plus a technical interview. A lot of people drop out from the program because they don't like coding or staring at the screen all day. Unforuntely the way I use python is very different from the way I'm using HTML at the moment. Two different purposes as well as the syntax. The shortage is gone. Because of the bootcamps. Hiring rate is going lower and lower with grads not being able to find jobs

 

[Pharmacyregret]

Avoid pharmacy school by any means. Do PA or NP. More jobs and higher pay. Recent pharmacy grad still looking for a job. 6 months and counting

 

[rxkrafted]

Avoid pharmacy school by any means. Do PA or NP. More jobs and higher pay. Recent pharmacy grad still looking for a job. 6 months and counting

6 months? Did you take/pass your boards really late or something? im assuming you graduated last year

 

[BidingMyTime]

Software engineering:
Good vacation time: many companies give unlimited vacation time. Enough said.

FYI, "unlimited vacation time" is a scam. People at those companies use less vacation then people with with a set number of vacation days, because of the peer pressure (and unspoken threats of being fired) if they use vacation. Also, the main reason companies use "unlimited vacation", is because when a person leaves the job (fired or quiting), they don' have to pay them any vacation pay....unlike traditional vacation days where companies have to pay it out by law.

 

[El Trombopag]

I know other fields of pharmacy exist, i'm looking into hospital pharm and it seems interesting. I like the hospital setting but everyone says they overwork you like a dead horse so not particularly keen on that...

I don’t think you can overwork a dead horse, but yeah. I wouldn’t say the grass is super green on the hospital side. Better for sure in my opinion, but not awesome. The biggest downside for me is the typical 24/7 staffing. Weekend night shifts, weekend day shifts very likely. Of all the things I underestimated about pharmacy, I think the weekends are the biggest one for me. My wife has every weekend off, I work every other weekend. As time goes on, its more and more like a regressive tax on my free time.