Is it difficult to find work out of the US State that you graduated from?

[phyun]

Hey everybody. I'm currently trying to decide schools, and have an out-of-state school (New York) as an option. As of now, I live in California and would like work here.

Let's assume tuition isn't an issue.

I was wondering if any of you went to school out-of-state for pharmacy school.

How much did being in that state affect your job hunting?

Did you have originally have intentions to go back to your old state? If that changed, why?

If you did go back to your old state, was it difficult finding job opportunities there?

Thanks!

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[Dred Pirate]

Hey everybody. I'm currently trying to decide schools, and have an out-of-state school (New York) as an option. As of now, I live in California and would like work here.

Let's assume tuition isn't an issue.

I was wondering if any of you went to school out-of-state for pharmacy school.

How much did being in that state affect your job hunting?

Did you have originally have intentions to go back to your old state? If that changed, why?

If you did go back to your old state, was it difficult finding job opportunities there?

Thanks!

I worked in a different state that I graduated in - albiet 10 years ago, never had issues, but I went to work in the armpit of america, an uber small town in southern illinois. I then moved to a metro area in the southeast, I don't think where you graduated ever really plays a role in most jobs. If you are concerned that the out of state school will hurt you when applying for jobs, make sure you have an in-state address on your resume (parents, etc)

 

[confettiflyer]

I was wondering if any of you went to school out-of-state for pharmacy school.

Yes. East Coast.

How much did being in that state affect your job hunting?

It was limiting in that I didn't have the time/$$ to interview at as many places as I thought I wanted to back in California. Also, naturally, I had more contacts on the east coast simply due to rotations and other experiences, so it would have been easier for me to get hired via networking east vs. west where my contacts were limited.

Did you have originally have intentions to go back to your old state? If that changed, why?

Eventually, if not immediately, within 3-5 years.

If you did go back to your old state, was it difficult finding job opportunities there?

I had a job ~3 months before graduation back in California, but I had more leads/opportunities where I went to school for obvious contact reasons.

 

[Monsterdaddy]

The answers should be obvious but here we go again.

The singlemost important factor in landing a job you want is networking. Don't kid yourself, if you are a wallflower that is unwilling to go make connections then you will have an extremely hard time even landing a job.

That said, every rotation should be treated as a networking opportunity/job interview. That is how I got three jobs at a hospital without a residency.

Now this where your choice of school will affect your ability to land a job back in California. Most schools have like 90% of their rotation opportunities within state -- that's just the way it is. So if you go to New York, you will find few rotations in California which limits your networking opportunities.

I had a third of my class in Arizona from California. The ones who really wanted to work in California networked their arse off and found California preceptors who were willing to give them a rotation even the student attended Midwestern and the preceptor had no prior relationship to the school. (BTW, you should see how easy it is for your school to take on new rotation that you found. Midwestern supported it and made it very easy to do.)

And of course, networking with hiring managers in California will help you land a job too even if you had no rotation in California.

If you don't know how to network, just Google suggestions. It's actually much easier to network within Pharmacy because we are a very small exclusive group with the same interests. Many easy talking points.

 

[BenJammin]

That said, every rotation should be treated as a networking opportunity/job interview. That is how I got three jobs at a hospital without a residency.

Seriously. That line is something that should be repeated x100 to all pharmacy students before they go on rotations.

 

[confettiflyer]

Seriously. That line is something that should be repeated x100 to all pharmacy students before they go on rotations.

Forreal. Don't mistake my relative casualness and occasional swearing as an invitation to spill your darkest secrets, show up late, and expose other *******ery.

 

[gwarm01]

I did it, but I spent all of my savings just staying afloat while I searched.

 

[cnicolef08]

Hey everybody. I'm currently trying to decide schools, and have an out-of-state school (New York) as an option. As of now, I live in California and would like work here.

Let's assume tuition isn't an issue.

I was wondering if any of you went to school out-of-state for pharmacy school.

I grew up in GA all my life, randomly went to OH for pharmacy school, then moved back home for work.

How much did being in that state affect your job hunting?

Not so much, I was afraid that learning OH law might hold me up just a little when studying but it wasn't a big deal. I agree with several other ppl here, networking will help out a ton. I was active in many different orgs and knew a lot of people for ALL over the country. Even got an offer for a Walgreens in Houston through a friend of mine. I was adamantly against retail though so I declined it. I could've easily gotten a job in OH, didn't want one though. Wanted to move back home.

Did you have originally have intentions to go back to your old state? If that changed, why?

Yes, I also knew I'd be going back to my home state, never imagined I'd be basically back in my hometown though.

If you did go back to your old state, was it difficult finding job opportunities there?

Yes and no. Yes because I originally started looking only in Atlanta (dumb idea). Once I expanded my search location a little bit, I was able to get a few hits. I interviewed at 2 places and was basically told at one place that they didn't have any positions available but just wanted to meet me and keep me in mind. They actually referred me to my current job. I graduated in 2012 though so I don't want to give you a sense of false hope. I don't believe we are completely devoid of jobs and opportunities but I do know they are getting more and more difficult to find. A few friends of mine weren't able to find jobs for about 6 months after graduation but that was because they had families and weren't able to uproot and move as easily as I was.

 

[PharmDCandidate2014]

Hey everybody. I'm currently trying to decide schools, and have an out-of-state school (New York) as an option. As of now, I live in California and would like work here.

Let's assume tuition isn't an issue.

I was wondering if any of you went to school out-of-state for pharmacy school.

How much did being in that state affect your job hunting?

Did you have originally have intentions to go back to your old state? If that changed, why?

If you did go back to your old state, was it difficult finding job opportunities there?

Thanks!

Hi!

If you are an incoming pharmacy student for the Fall 2015 class, I can safely say the market will be VERY different now as opposed to when you graduate in 2019.

My apologies for the lack of specificity in response, but there seems to be more uncertainty than convincing predictions about the future of pharmacy.

Having said that, it looks like a good option includes seeking employment in an 'undesirable' area, then inching your way closer to your home state as you gain experience/seniority with a particular chain. Again, things could drastically change for better (or worse?), so keep your eyes and ears open through your colleagues at work and SDN. More importantly, for the love of GOD, please take the advice given by your clinical professors with a major grain of salt. I think they're trained to tell their students that a residency is the golden ticket to a unicorn career.

 

[Monsterdaddy]

I believe about half of my California classmates who wanted to get jobs back in Cali did so within 6 months and many got offers prior to graduation. Those were the ones that networked the hardest.

So it is definitely possible but you will need to work your contacts as much as possible if you will be out of state. i.e. Spend you summers working in Cali.