Job Advice? Stay with Retail or Med Writing or something else

[Auriel619]

Hey Everyone,

So I was recently offered a position in med writing in a saturated area and I'm weighing the pros and cons of the position. Definitely looking for your thoughts on the topic.

I've been working in the retail setting for a few years now and I've never really enjoyed the community setting. The store I'm in is incredibly hectic and I'm still unused to the 14 hour-standing-all-day shifts. I've been applying to a variety of med writing jobs and was just offered a position in a moderate-sized metro area, but the position is contractual 6-months and the pay is about half of what I earn in retail (~55k/year). With taxes and everything, take home is probably ~30k/year. yikes.

It's definitely hard to take the pay cut for a temporary position, but the position does offer a possible opportunity to springboard into industry, maybe an agency, or out of retail. It's definitely hard to see that paycut and not wince, but at the same time I'm absolutely burned out from working in the retail setting.

Should I decline this position and keep looking? Take it, work for ~6months and then find something else? In terms of finances I've got enough saved up to be unemployed for ~6 months.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[desklamp]

That's too large of a paycut for a chance at an industry career unless you have a spouse that can support the both of you financially while you transition, or if the contract job doesn't lead to something bigger.
I'd keep looking, maybe outside of med writing since that's fairly low pay? MSL, regulatory, med info?

 

[Auriel619]

Do they pay more after some experience or are all med writing jobs 55K per year?

No they definitely do pay more with experience but this would be entry level. Even so it's definitely very low-ball.

Thanks for your 2 cents desk lamp. Fortunately or maybe unfortunately no spouse at the moment but I've always been under the impression it's difficult if not impossible to move into regulatory affairs/med info without knowing someone or having strong experience. Either way I am still looking.

 

[zelman]

I just took a new job M-F 9-5 and asked my retail gig to keep me part time/per diem. Now I can pick up the nights/weekends I want for some extra cash. If your employer is willing to do something like that, it might not be as bad a pay cut as you anticipate. Also, it would be easier to go back to full time after 6 months if you're already an employee if med writing doesn't work out.

 

[Dalteparin]

I just took a new job M-F 9-5 and asked my retail gig to keep me part time/per diem. Now I can pick up the nights/weekends I want for some extra cash. If your employer is willing to do something like that, it might not be as bad a pay cut as you anticipate. Also, it would be easier to go back to full time after 6 months if you're already an employee if med writing doesn't work out.

I was going to suggest something like this too. Take the med writing job - it sounds like it could be a springboard to bigger things, and depending on your schedule, you could probably work PRN at a hospital or retail too. And if you hate it, it's only 6 months.

 

[297point1]

55k/year for FT work? You need to work on your negotiation skills.
This is WAY LOW, even for entry level.

AMWA will be a good resource for you.
Start with their salary survey: http://www.amwa.org/files/Job_Services/2011_salary survey article.pdf
It's dated (2011), but even back then entry-entry level folks were averaging nearly 65k

Best of luck to you.

 

[zelman]

Did bcps pay off at last?!?

No. A random post on here that I think was deleted for recruiting. BCPS might have helped, but who knows.

 

[rxglasshalffull]

I just took a new job M-F 9-5 and asked my retail gig to keep me part time/per diem. Now I can pick up the nights/weekends I want for some extra cash. If your employer is willing to do something like that, it might not be as bad a pay cut as you anticipate. Also, it would be easier to go back to full time after 6 months if you're already an employee if med writing doesn't work out.

where do you guys find these MF 9-5 jobs?

 

[rxglasshalffull]

$55k is way too low, also this is not even a permanent position. with that said, if you really cant stand retail and are on the verge of going crazy, i would take half the pay for my sanity.

 

[Sparda29]

How does one get a medical writing job? Do they want qualifications other than the PharmD? I've been told you can do Medical Writing as a per assignment job, doing it from home when you have spare time and whatnot.

 

[type b pharmD]

There's different tiers of medical writing. One of my relatives is a writer for a top biotech, in house, and is definitely making a decent amount more than an average pharmacist.. but they have a couple decades of specialty experience. I have looked into medical writing myself. 55k for a year is either bottom of the barrel (ie stuff any science background person could write) or you are being low balled to a scandalous extent, assuming you are talking about an agency/consultant gig. I'd say look for a better writing job. Getting in with a big content creation company i.e. truven , big pharma or a national policy org is not going to be doable without connections. But there are a lot of small and medium sized companies out there that publish content for, say, mtm platforms, EHR/ decision support, and even agencies that contract with consumer websites.. they would probably pay at least say, 20% more, and be better stepping stone to future career.

Maybe widen your scope of job searching? The reality is you're going to have to temp to get a rep and get hired in house somewhere, but at least do it with a firm that is paying for your level of expertise. 70k might be optimistic, but 50k is at least moderately insulting for a doctoral educated professional writer.

 

[297point1]

How does one get a medical writing job? Do they want qualifications other than the PharmD?

First: You need to be able to write. Not everyone can do this, and many folks believe they are better writers than they actually are.

Beyond that, there are requirements and expectations specific for the job (technical writing, clinical writing, marketing materials, etc.). Having a proven track record of delivering a quality product ON TIME is essential. That being said, once you develop a relationship with a vendor, it is yours to lose- they will likely keep coming back to you frequently.

I have done contract clinical writing work for the last 15 years. It is a repeating annual gig- updating clinical monographs and a reference book for a set fee. Some years, when there aren't a lot of changes in treatment guidelines or new products coming to the market, I earn the equivalent of $250/hour. Busier years (landmark clinical trials, major treatment guideline revisions, etc.) see the equivalent pay rate drop to $45/hour. It all depends.

 

[BidingMyTime]

Hey Everyone,
So I was recently offered a position in med writing in a saturated area and I'm weighing the pros and cons of the position. Definitely looking for your thoughts on the topic.
It's definitely hard to take the pay cut for a temporary position, but the position does offer a possible opportunity to springboard into industry, maybe an agency, or out of retail. It's definitely hard to see that paycut and not wince, but at the same time I'm absolutely burned out from working in the retail setting.

Some things to ask yourself, how prepared are you to live on 30K take-home/year? People can and do live on this quite comfortably, but if your current car payment, rent/mortgage, etc are based on a much higher salary, you probably aren't going to be able to step down to 30K without making major changes in your life. And do you want to make major changes for a 6-month job? I would NOT depend on using your savings to finance your lower income for 6-months, your savings should be for an emergency, so if you take the lower salary job, change your lifestyle to fit that job.

Next, how much do you hate retail? If you are on the verge of losing your mind if you don't get out, then you should probably take this opportunity. However, if you just aren't particularly happy and don't really hate retail, I would seek the option of trying to get a part-time med writing job, so you can keep your full-time day job.

3rd consideration, what would be your course of action at the end of 6 months, and would you be OK with that course of action. IE, what if you take the temp job, and after 6 months you can't get another full-time job in your saturated city. Would you be OK with moving somewhere else to get employment (whether retail or med writing?)

You have a tough decision to make, whatever decision you make, make it wholeheartedly, don't look back 3 months from now with regret. Whatever decision you make will have benefits & negatives.

 

[Auriel619]

Some things to ask yourself, how prepared are you to live on 30K take-home/year? People can and do live on this quite comfortably, but if your current car payment, rent/mortgage, etc are based on a much higher salary, you probably aren't going to be able to step down to 30K without making major changes in your life. And do you want to make major changes for a 6-month job? I would NOT depend on using your savings to finance your lower income for 6-months, your savings should be for an emergency, so if you take the lower salary job, change your lifestyle to fit that job.

Next, how much do you hate retail? If you are on the verge of losing your mind if you don't get out, then you should probably take this opportunity. However, if you just aren't particularly happy and don't really hate retail, I would seek the option of trying to get a part-time med writing job, so you can keep your full-time day job.

3rd consideration, what would be your course of action at the end of 6 months, and would you be OK with that course of action. IE, what if you take the temp job, and after 6 months you can't get another full-time job in your saturated city. Would you be OK with moving somewhere else to get employment (whether retail or med writing?)

You have a tough decision to make, whatever decision you make, make it wholeheartedly, don't look back 3 months from now with regret. Whatever decision you make will have benefits & negatives.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on the matter. I definitely appreciate you taking the time to give me some advice on the matter.

I do have to get back to the company soon and will most likely take this temp writing job, maybe 2-3 days a week in the metro area while still working as a rph in retail. Worst comes to worst the ~2 hour commute both ways stresses me out even more and I leave the company after a few weeks but at the very least I have something to talk about in future job interviews.

Bidingmytime, thanks for the reminder about going in full force or not at all. You're right, I don't want to look back at this moment a few months down the road and continue to wonder. At the very least I know that I gave it my best shot.