Seeking a career change. Kindly asking for guidance/opinions

[In a rut]

Dear all:

I would like for you to enlighten me about the pharmacy profession if you have the time and willing to do so.

About me: I have a BS in accounting from a private institution based in Chicago. I lost my job in Spring 2017, the house I purchased, and moved back home @ 34 years old with 60k of student loan debt for that undergrad degree. I have interviewed these past months and cannot land a job even with the experience in I possess. I'm taking this as a sign that this field may not be for me. Therefore, I am looking into the pharmacy profession as a second career. Why pharmacy as a career? Well, I would enjoy to become a drug expert and apply that knowledge to aid the ill. Plus, being able to treat someone pre and post illness is an amazing feat. Additionally, I am fluent in oral and written Spanish.

Thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[steveysmith54]

Since you're an accountant, you should be familiar with supply, demand, and return on investment concepts. Sorry to hear about your recent troubles. Pharmacy field is experiencing tough times right now. There is MORE than enough posts about employment and problems paying back debt etc on this forum. Just look around. In short, the answer is a hard no and keep looking.

 

[BigBoss]

@stoichiometrist

 

[mentos]

If you think 60k debt and no job is bad, what do you think about 150k+ debt on top of that and no job? Pharmacist jobs in the Chicago area are almost untouchable, most new grads have to move to BFE to get jobs now. Pharmacists expect NO raises and even layoffs in the near future due to acquisitions, restructuring, pay freezes, etc. that have recently occurred. I'm not sure how the job market is for accounting, but I'm sure there are more jobs available in desirable areas of the country than pharmacy. You're probably better off going for CPA.

Quality of life is far better with accounting. You get a nice cube/office, comfy ergonomic chair, lunch break, evenings/nights/weekends/holidays off, you can get a coffee and chat in the break room or go to the bathroom whenever you want, there's minimal phone calls/interruptions compared to pharmacy, no customer interaction, no insurance to deal with. Do you really want to stand all day and get yelled at by customers, work on weekends and holidays (including Thanksgiving/Christmas), scarf down your lunch/dinner etc? Or try for hospital which is highly competitive, usually pays less and pretty much requires another 2 years of residency (only get paid ~40k/year) and doesn't even guarantee a job?

 

[lord999]

If you think 60k debt and no job is bad, what do you think about 150k+ debt on top of that and no job? Pharmacist jobs in the Chicago area are almost untouchable, most new grads have to move to BFE to get jobs now. Pharmacists expect NO raises and even layoffs in the near future due to acquisitions, restructuring, pay freezes, etc. that have recently occurred. I'm not sure how the job market is for accounting, but I'm sure there are more jobs available in desirable areas of the country than pharmacy. You're probably better off going for CPA.

Quality of life is far better with accounting. You get a nice cube/office, comfy ergonomic chair, lunch break, evenings/nights/weekends/holidays off, you can get a coffee and chat in the break room or go to the bathroom whenever you want, there's minimal phone calls/interruptions compared to pharmacy, no customer interaction, no insurance to deal with. Do you really want to stand all day and get yelled at by customers, work on weekends and holidays (including Thanksgiving/Christmas), scarf down your lunch/dinner etc? Or try for hospital which is highly competitive, usually pays less and pretty much requires another 2 years of residency (only get paid ~40k/year) and doesn't even guarantee a job?

Unless you work for the Big 4 firms, in which case, you'd know exactly what pharmacy is like. I agree with mentos that it's hard to recommend pharmacy as a job, I'd try to find employment as an accountant elsewhere first.

 

[BidingMyTime]

What everyone else said. I assume you never passed your CPA exam? The best thing you could do is study, study, study, until you can pass your CPA exam. Going to pharmacy school and adding on probably hundreds of thousands more dollars in debt is a bad idea. Especially if you can't graduate and/or pass the NAPLEX (and there are plenty of stories here from students who flunked out of pharmacy school or graduated but can't pass the NAPLEX.) Granted there is a huge difference between the CPA exam and the NAPLEX, but if you couldn't pass the CPA exam, that is not a good sign towards passing the NAPLEX.

Also, there are no pharmacy jobs in Chicago. Maybe 1 or 2, but those jobs have already been promised to someone else due to nepotism. There are SIX pharmacy schools in Chicago, it is arguably the most saturated city in the country. Now if you are willing to move, then all is good on this point (but not on my point in the previous paragraph.) But do NOT go into pharmacy if you hope/expect to be working in Chicago.

 

[DrVader]

Dear all:

I would like for you to enlighten me about the pharmacy profession if you have the time and willing to do so.

About me: I have a BS in accounting from a private institution based in Chicago. I lost my job in Spring 2017, the house I purchased, and moved back home @ 34 years old with 60k of student loan debt for that undergrad degree. I have interviewed these past months and cannot land a job even with the experience in I possess. I'm taking this as a sign that this field may not be for me. Therefore, I am looking into the pharmacy profession as a second career. Why pharmacy as a career? Well, I would enjoy to become a drug expert and apply that knowledge to aid the ill. Plus, being able to treat someone pre and post illness is an amazing feat. Additionally, I am fluent in oral and written Spanish.

Thank you!

Well as someone who from went from Pharmacy TO Business I think that I offer you some insight. First, it is pretty cutthroat in business out there. There is a lot of saturation particularly in large cities like Chicago. Maybe you should consider moving somewhere else. If you switch to pharmacy nothing that you learned in accounting will help you and it will all be a wasted. Are you willing to make four years of your life count for nothing. I can best describe the field of pharmacy as this. Imagine going to school to be a doctor but ending up working at McDonald. That is what working as a retail pharmacist is like. It is like McDonald with drugs, but if you make the burger wrong someone can die and you get sued. I think don't searching for a few months should make you change careers. First, I don't you have the prerequisites to get into pharmacy school. So you are looking at least a year of pre-pharmacy classes and then 4 years of pharmacy school. You are going to spend the next 5 years in school and at least another 150k. Is that something you really one to do at 3. As you can read on the forum here, the pharmacy job market is dead. By the time you graduate in 5 years, the market would have turned in a zombie who is trying to eat everyone brains. My advice, is to keep searching for a job, maybe expand your search. Maybe even go to MBA school. But don't do pharmacy, if you are die hard on medicine, go the PA route. PA make just as money as pharmacist do, it is a better job market and possibly shorter school.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

Dear all:
I would like for you to enlighten me about the pharmacy profession if you have the time and willing to do so.
About me: I have a BS in accounting from a private institution based in Chicago. I lost my job in Spring 2017, the house I purchased, and moved back home @ 34 years old with 60k of student loan debt for that undergrad degree. I have interviewed these past months and cannot land a job even with the experience in I possess. I'm taking this as a sign that this field may not be for me. Therefore, I am looking into the pharmacy profession as a second career. Why pharmacy as a career? Well, I would enjoy to become a drug expert and apply that knowledge to aid the ill. Plus, being able to treat someone pre and post illness is an amazing feat. Additionally, I am fluent in oral and written Spanish.
Thank you!

Aver.
¿Supongo k ya le diste una vuelta porla forum?
Si no, hay bastante información k se puede encontrar.
Hay también datos sobre todo que afectará su chance de ser aceptado.

Es pero bien difícil aun encontrar trabajo en cualquier ciudad.

¿Que te parece?

 

[ornithoptor]

We are kind in the same boat. I did what you are thinking about doing now ten years ago. It was a tough journey, but payoff is huge for people with both business and pharmacy skills. People will tell you how tight the market is with jobs. However, I get an offer with every job I applied in the last 3 years. Pharmacy world are desperately seeking people with our skill sets due to financial crunch. They need people who understand both the pharmacy and business world. Many jobs posted with our skill sets are not filled even after a year posting the job. However, be prepare to relocate, and expect a job no two days are the same. good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Lnsean]

Dear all:

I would like for you to enlighten me about the pharmacy profession if you have the time and willing to do so.

About me: I have a BS in accounting from a private institution based in Chicago. I lost my job in Spring 2017, the house I purchased, and moved back home @ 34 years old with 60k of student loan debt for that undergrad degree. I have interviewed these past months and cannot land a job even with the experience in I possess. I'm taking this as a sign that this field may not be for me. Therefore, I am looking into the pharmacy profession as a second career. Why pharmacy as a career? Well, I would enjoy to become a drug expert and apply that knowledge to aid the ill. Plus, being able to treat someone pre and post illness is an amazing feat. Additionally, I am fluent in oral and written Spanish.

Thank you!

If you are fluent in Spanish then go ahead and make the switch. Knowing spanish is a big plus in healthcare. Pharmacy is very saturated right now and there are people struggling to find FT positions and having to relocate. I feel with the Spanish fluency...that is a big plus for you. The business/accounting skills aren't really transferable. Don't listen to the other poster telling you it is...I cannot imagine a job where both your pharmacy/accounting skills are going to be utilized. He may have landed a unicorn job; so, don't make the switch expecting that. It will be a clear cut switch from business to healthcare and the only thing you have going for you is the Spanish fluency, which is a big thing.

 

[ornithoptor]

Don't listen to the other poster telling you it is...I cannot imagine a job where both your pharmacy/accounting skills are going to be utilized. He may have landed a unicorn job; so, don't make the switch expecting that.

It is true that is not common except among hospital leadership. It is also correct that you should not expect a job like that waiting for you upon graduation.
That being said, I use my business skill daily on procurement, contract, reimbursement, project management and service expansions.
I have worked hard for a few years, learn my ways around and proactively apply my business skills. I interject myself and my skill and earned my way up. However, I now write my own ticket and do what I want to do when approved by my boss. My job satisfaction is high, stress is low. 9-5, weekday only with 5 weeks PTO.
My goal is not to convince you what you will have upon graduation, but share with you realistically what you can work toward.
It may be a unicorn job, but for large hospital systems, we are unicorn employees too.
Don’t get discouraged.




Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

Dear all:

I would like for you to enlighten me about the pharmacy profession if you have the time and willing to do so.

About me: I have a BS in accounting from a private institution based in Chicago. I lost my job in Spring 2017, the house I purchased, and moved back home @ 34 years old with 60k of student loan debt for that undergrad degree. I have interviewed these past months and cannot land a job even with the experience in I possess. I'm taking this as a sign that this field may not be for me. Therefore, I am looking into the pharmacy profession as a second career. Why pharmacy as a career? Well, I would enjoy to become a drug expert and apply that knowledge to aid the ill. Plus, being able to treat someone pre and post illness is an amazing feat. Additionally, I am fluent in oral and written Spanish.

Thank you!

I just read your posts in the other professional forums.

Pharmacy is not for you.

 

[Lnsean]

Looks like OP is posting this question in a bunch of forums...I think he's just looking to see what has the best responses and pick that one..lol. OP, healthcare switches aren't easy undertakings. They require a lot of time, debt, and commitment. While it's good that you're gauging the field to see what's new and hot...the first and foremost step should always to be honest with yourself and what you want out of this switch.