pharmacists...would you do it again?

[Lubeckd]

Everybody has their own reasons to pursue their dream. I chose pharmacy because I have been in the field for 8 years, enjoy the work, learning new material, and helping patients in many ways. I find it a rewarding career that I will enjoy for years to come and really cannot see myself doing anything else.

If you are going to let some random voices on the internet affect your decision on your goal, then your obviously not 100% sold on pharmacy and is not a bad idea to explore other options. Pharmacy school is a big financial commitment and something you have to be all 110% in and sure that you want to do. Your not going to be handed anything on a platter in life. I know that the job market for pharmacist right now is not the best and there are difficulties for new grads, but I believe that as long as you work hard, stay determined, and employ your best ethics, eventually you will reach your goal.

I think you are right, if you are not 110 percent sure that pharmacy is your calling, don't do it!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[aznjeff07]

Nope. I'd do engineering. Better pay in the long run if you have work ethic, with better conditions, and less school.

 

[Lnsean]

my comp sci friends are making more than me and better working conditions and benefits..

 

[VP_Pharm2004]

No, for the reasons stated above!

 

[trailerpark]

my comp sci friends are making more than me and better working conditions and benefits..

With a BS in computer science and making well over 100k? How many years of experience?

 

[Momus]

With a BS in computer science and making well over 100k? How many years of experience?

My friend makes 145k/year as a software engineer with BS in comp sci... his pay will be bigger soon too because he is finishing master. He said it would probably be $165k. He is in north California (bay area). He gets good stock options, great benefits, low stress, and easy to switch a job. He was an international student graduated from San Jose. Now, he is on H1B visa.

 

[Eichhoernchen]

my comp sci friends are making more than me and better working conditions and benefits..

Totally agree about computer science! Everyone I know in the field is making a lot and loving what they do.

 

[xiphoid2010]

My friend makes 145k/year as a software engineer with BS in comp sci... his pay will be bigger soon too because he is finishing master. He said it would probably be $165k. He is in north California (bay area). He gets good stock options, great benefits, low stress, and easy to switch a job. He was an international student graduated from San Jose. Now, he is on H1B visa.

Meh, Petro engineering, 5 year undergrad, 6 figure start, $200K with 10 years experience, and that money is what you make in Texas. My wife's relatives in houston doing that is living the high life, and that's working for companies that are suppliers of major petro companies.

 

[armpitsOFmight]

^I hope you're good at physics because if you aren't, you wouldn't make it as an engineer.

 

[xiphoid2010]

^I hope you're good at physics because if you aren't, you wouldn't make it as an engineer.

Math/physics/chemistry have always came to me easier than trying to grasp abstract stuff like art. Things that be logically deduced or computed just offers a comfort lacking in subjects that end up "there is no right answers" or "it depends". But I mentioned petro engineering since we are on the subject of alternative career options, and many in the forum probably have similar affinity for math and science.

 

[armpitsOFmight]

I'm one of those people who also likes math and chemistry, but for some reason I can't stand physics and this is why I couldn't make it as an engineer. I used to work with aerospace engineers before I went back to school full-time and a lot of the stuff they made in CAD drawing used a lot of math and physics concepts.

 

[vistaril]

My friend makes 145k/year as a software engineer with BS in comp sci... his pay will be bigger soon too because he is finishing master. He said it would probably be $165k. He is in north California (bay area). He gets good stock options, great benefits, low stress, and easy to switch a job. He was an international student graduated from San Jose. Now, he is on H1B visa.

of course talented engineers in certain areas make more than pharms...a lot more in some cases. But that's the catch-talented. The mediocre ones make a little less, or maybe cant even find a decent job in their field and wash out.

whereas the mediocre to bad pharms are still punching that clock at cvs or wags and still chachinging all the way to the bank.

That is the difference.

 

[AlPacino]

If you are starting from scratch, thinking of engineering, and looking to make money(some more than pharmacist), Biomedical Engineering is the tract to go. A lot of money to be made in that field with an increase in demand for the future.

 

[BelowTheMean]

Like others said, the good days of pharmacy ended in 2008. If you are pursuing this because your clueless after high school and your parents told you to, don't do it. If you are the type of person who just wants to 'get-by' in life, don't do it. I live in NYC where it was the least affected by the recession and there are still hiring freezes in effect. Hospitals have it tough too since decreased Medicaid/Medicare reimbursements have shut down alot of them. Also keep in mind that NYS already passed the law which will require you to complete 7 years for a Pharm D.

The only EXCEPTION to doing pharmacy today is if you can master the three things:
1. You really like to engage with the public, you enjoy being in the box for 13+ hours a day. (Tip: If you keep looking at the clock waiting to punch out, you do not enjoy your job.)
2. Your smart enough to get accepted into a reputable, PUBLIC university as well as get tons of scholarships. Don't do private, you will drown you and your spouse in debt.
3. You are entrepreneurial in nature. Currently, the scenario most pharmacists are being forced into is that they are either unemployed and underemployed. Therefore they have to venture out and open up their own business.

So no, I would not do it again unless we are talking about 20 years ago. IMO, the best alternative is nursing. I know a couple of people who got their BSN and got a job. Later, the hospital would sponsor them to complete for their NP and even CRNA (both +2 years). You would be making the same amount as RPh's, engage in more clinical, have better hours!

CRNAs make over 200k at kaiser, and about 150-160 starting other places, I'd try for that if not MD or some engineering if i could do it over.

 

[lisinopril]

Ask me this question 5 years ago? Yes. Now? NO!!!!

Problems with pharmacy now and possible in future:1. Market saturation. Way saturated in some areas.
2. Salary declining. Ask a few new grads and see how much they are offered. I heard stories of new grad offered at 40's /hour range.
3. Way much more stress now due to more regulated laws, budget cut, etc..
4. Level of respect has gone down. Gone the day, "WOW..you're a pharmacist?".
5. Too much loan debt for new grads. 10 years ago, my tuition was 26K/year. Now it's 45K/year. It's almost doubled!!!!!

Go PA route. You will have a job, especially with the OBAMA CARE going now. More primary care is needed , thus expanding PA roles.

 

[Momrowgal]

Totally agree about computer science! Everyone I know in the field is making a lot and loving what they do.

Don't forget that a lot of those guys/gals are unemployable in software development after age 35 or so. It is really a whole second career trying to stay current with the latest technologies. At least the human body doesn't change, unless you count evolution or epigenetics . . . .

 

[grumps]

Go PA route. You will have a job, especially with the OBAMA CARE going now. More primary care is needed , thus expanding PA roles.

The main concern with the strategy of entering any lucrative field is what is to stop the access to easy credit from destroying it down the road. Right now becoming a petroleum engineer looks smart, but what about ten years from now? Will universities open up new programs wily-nily, past graduates be damned?

Until our financial system is fixed you'll always be looking over your shoulder.

 

[ewax]

I wouldn't do it again. If I had known anything about pharmacy prior to pharmacy school, I would have gone the NP/PA route.

 

[MagicmanMD]

The main concern with the strategy of entering any lucrative field is what is to stop the access to easy credit from destroying it down the road. Right now becoming a petroleum engineer looks smart, but what about ten years from now? Will universities open up new programs wily-nily, past graduates be damned?

Until our financial system is fixed you'll always be looking over your shoulder.

I left pharmacy school after my second year because I felt it was a waste of my time. It was easy and simply pathetic. I was afraid that my brain would atrophy to a point of no return. lol

You can't compare engineering to pharmacy. Engineering is not an easy degree to pursue. Most pharmacy students would fail math courses after the calculus series. I'm sure you pharmacists with math or engineering background know what I'm talking about. Therefore, it is not easy to just add engineering schools and flood the market with engineers as it is with pharmacy.

 

[Stilltrying1288]

I left pharmacy school after my second year because I felt it was a waste of my time. It was easy and simply pathetic. I was afraid that my brain would atrophy to a point of no return. lol

You can't compare engineering to pharmacy. Engineering is not an easy degree to pursue. Most pharmacy students would fail math courses after the calculus series. I'm sure you pharmacists with math or engineering background know what I'm talking about. Therefore, it is not easy to just add engineering schools and flood the market with engineers as it is with pharmacy.

Engineering schools...I'm almost certain that's what state colleges and private colleges already have in undergraduate and graduate engineering programs.

 

[Angela1234]

No I would never go into pharmacy knowing what I know now. I went into pharmacy thinking that I could get a job in any type of pharmacy and that I could live where I want. Neither of these things were true, and I am still struggling to be able to pay back my loans and find a job in the area I want to practice years later.


I think I would have become an accountant or some other field that is in demand jobwise, if having a job in demand even exists anymore.

 

[ttopping]

I would. That being said...I really enjoy what I do, like who I work with, like who I work for, and don't have an absurd amount of loans (good old UB pricing). Are there tough days where I wish there was something more to get out of pharmacy, sure...but in all honesty it's a well paying career, and I get a good amount of satisfaction out of the position I'm in.

I didn't go into engineering because that's not my thing. I didn't go work with computers because that stuff doesn't interest me. I went into pharmacy because I thought I would enjoy it, and thank goodness I do. I'm thankful most days I didn't go to med school or become a PA/NP. Not saying I wouldn't have enjoyed those careers but this is the path I took and I stand by my decision. If you don't like the profession then do something else. If you can't afford to do something else then suck it up until you can.

It amazes me the people who would have never gone into pharmacy if they knew what they know now. What about this profession is so different than what you had hoped or dreamed? Is it the job market? Then don't pick a major based simply on how easy it is to get a job. Is it the responsibility? Do the research, and then work your ass off to get to that point where you're happy or pick a career with more clinical responsibility off the bat. Don't want to staff or do retail? Few years of residency/fellowship, a little flexibility and you might get to that point. Nothing is guaranteed, and nothing is forever

 

[Nkemjika]

I would. That being said...I really enjoy what I do, like who I work with, like who I work for, and don't have an absurd amount of loans (good old UB pricing). Are there tough days where I wish there was something more to get out of pharmacy, sure...but in all honesty it's a well paying career, and I get a good amount of satisfaction out of the position I'm in.

I didn't go into engineering because that's not my thing. I didn't go work with computers because that stuff doesn't interest me. I went into pharmacy because I thought I would enjoy it, and thank goodness I do. I'm thankful most days I didn't go to med school or become a PA/NP. Not saying I wouldn't have enjoyed those careers but this is the path I took and I stand by my decision. If you don't like the profession then do something else. If you can't afford to do something else then suck it up until you can.

It amazes me the people who would have never gone into pharmacy if they knew what they know now. What about this profession is so different than what you had hoped or dreamed? Is it the job market? Then don't pick a major based simply on how easy it is to get a job. Is it the responsibility? Do the research, and then work your ass off to get to that point where you're happy or pick a career with more clinical responsibility off the bat. Don't want to staff or do retail? Few years of residency/fellowship, a little flexibility and you might get to that point. Nothing is guaranteed, and nothing is forever

 

[jokersmiles]

No I would never go into pharmacy knowing what I know now. I went into pharmacy thinking that I could get a job in any type of pharmacy and that I could live where I want. Neither of these things were true, and I am still struggling to be able to pay back my loans and find a job in the area I want to practice years later.


I think I would have become an accountant or some other field that is in demand jobwise, if having a job in demand even exists anymore.

an update for this thread from recent grads would be interesting.

 

[VeeSee]

No I wouldn't

 

[Rukn]

I'm going to say no

 

[Elle928]

A few months ago, i was telling everyone who would listen that I wish I had never gone to pharmacy school. Now that Ive switched into a different setting ( still a pharmacist, but no longer retail) Im glad I chose a field that was diverse enough that I could go from retail to an office setting relatively quickly after graduation ( i graduated less than 2 years ago). I do have a ton of loans, but it worked out for me.

The problem is that these great non-retail jobs are few and far between. My advice now would be to only go into pharmacy school if you have connections and/or a clear cut path to get where you want to work. Or are okay with working retail, since thats where most of the jobs are today, but dont say you werent warned.

 

[gwarm01]

If I had just now graduated high school and was aiming for a career I absolutely would not. Having graduated in the early 2000's it was still a good choice and I have done well in pharmacy.

 

[Old Timer]

For me personally, it worked out fine. I graduated in 1982 and made the fine wage of $12.50 per hour. According the BLS adjusted for inflation that is $30.69 in today's dollars. So financially it worked out for me. I was there for the shortage and my wages sky rocketed. I was making $28.50 per hour at an independent when I joined CVS where I started at $33.50. I have 10 years to go and I am making a fortune. More than I ever could have imagined. I could have worked hospital, independent retail, chain retail. There were always jobs available.

Today, I would not recommend anyone go into pharmacy or anything in healthcare for that matter. There are jobs out there but they are few and far between. There is always room at the top. Not not everyone is at the top. Soon there will be 2 employers in retail CVS and Walgreens. There are a few regional chains, but really that's it. Much less selection. Going into business for yourself is a crap shoot. They can chnage the rules on you in a millisecond and take your profit away. Making money on this, too bad. MAC, AMP or whatever acronym they want to come up with to steal your money.

So, those considering pharmacy, if it's your passion go for it. If not, it's hard work and for now the pay is good. But I foresee pharmacists as the airline pilots of the 21st century. Now that's changing back, but it takes a long time. As long as they keep opening schools, there will be instability.

 

[Sine Cura]

I would do pharmacy again only if I had a crystal-clear vision of what I wanted to do, had the motivation to get what I wanted, and didn't have to rack up $150k+ in debt to get there (ideally I will have gotten rid of my debt load by the end of this year after two solid years of work). I say this as a recent grad who has taken jobs no one wants to do.