Current state of satisfaction with your PharmD

[PharmaSex]

how do you guys like where your PharmD took you after graduation? This is a more so a question for those who have finished there residences or have worked for at least a couple of years.

Did you find a spot that you like? Has your attained work experience opened new doors for you? Are you satisfied with your pay and benefits? Where do you plan to be after a few years or where did you end up after your previous setting?

To start off, I worked in retail for a year then found a unicorn job in the overnight inpatient setting where I made fantastic money while doing very little work. I just recently moved forward with my plan from 3 years ago to find a setting with good benefits and great pay that was focused on project based work instead of regular retail or hospital staffing. I recently started that position and now make more money than ever before and have great perks and benefits to boot. So far, I have gotten everything I've wanted out of my PharmD and have gotten well rounded experiences, good workmates, job security, and generous benefits and very good money. It's only gotten better with time. It wasn't always easy as I've gotten fired twice from jobs and spent a few months unemployed during each occurrence. But I found a way to bounce back and have been more and more satisfied with what I want while getting more money AND freedom with each subsequent job.

Please share your experiences. This open to everyone, including those where things have not worked out so well

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[confettiflyer]

how do you guys like where your PharmD took you after graduation?

I love it. It took me from a financial services career that would, on average, earn me $70-90k/yr (or more depending on how well things were)...but where I would have likely been laid off in the 2007-2008 bloodbath that was the start of the great recession....to a relatively more stable healthcare career and more than doubled my average income with much less work. I was putting in 60-70hrs/week whereas I'm pretty much at 40hrs/week now with no call, and where anything over 40hrs gets me a 1.5x differential as mandated by the State.

Did you find a spot that you like?

My goal was to return back to California and I'm within an hour of San Francisco. So yup it's a spot I really really really like.

Has your attained work experience opened new doors for you?

Yes. PGY-1 opened up some doors, but it wasn't a magic spell. It turned my job search from "impossible to find inpatient work" to "okay now I meet the minimum requirement." I had to apply to a lot of places and bomb a few interviews before getting hired. I was per-diem employed only for about a month after PGY-1 before landing my first full-time inpatient gig.

Now, I'm PGY-1 trained + BCPS + 4 years total inpatient experience (5 total including residency) + extensive experience in critical care and oncology, and I think I'm pretty much in that sweet spot of not quite a recent grad, but not exactly an old fart that would be difficult to train on a new system. I'm constantly getting recruited or asked if I'm interested in this or that (I'm really not, but I keep an open ear).

Are you satisfied with your pay and benefits?

I wish I had a better retirement match, and I think too much of my compensation is vacation--I earn get about 6 weeks per year, max accrual of 11 weeks--so I'm kind of forced to take a month off every year lest I run up against the limit. I think as time goes on I appreciate that a lot more. Initially, I just wanted more money!

Where do you plan to be after a few years or where did you end up after your previous setting?

Still here. Dream job, dream department. Not going anywhere. Most of the changes coming up are happening with the company I started (not pharmacy/healthcare related).

 

[Rukn]

0 satisfaction

About to throw it in the trash

 

[gwarm01]

I'm relatively satisfied. Opportunities were far fewer than when I applied to pharmacy school. I think the recession put an end to the massive pharmacy expansion. Anyway, few opportunities were available, but I was one of the lucky / ones that has managed to land the jobs I wanted.

Pay is lower than I'd like, but I live in an inexpensive part of the country. Even with student loans, ~25% of pay into savings/retirement, two car payments and a mortgage, I still have enough cash left over to do basically whatever I want.

 

[samven582]

0 satisfaction

About to throw it in the trash

 

[quickpic007]

how do you guys like where your PharmD took you after graduation? This is a more so a question for those who have finished there residences or have worked for at least a couple of years.

Did you find a spot that you like? Has your attained work experience opened new doors for you? Are you satisfied with your pay and benefits? Where do you plan to be after a few years or where did you end up after your previous setting?

To start off, I worked in retail for a year then found a unicorn job in the overnight inpatient setting where I made fantastic money while doing very little work. I just recently moved forward with my plan from 3 years ago to find a setting with good benefits and great pay that was focused on project based work instead of regular retail or hospital staffing. I recently started that position and now make more money than ever before and have great perks and benefits to boot. So far, I have gotten everything I've wanted out of my PharmD and have gotten well rounded experiences, good workmates, job security, and generous benefits and very good money. It's only gotten better with time. It wasn't always easy as I've gotten fired twice from jobs and spent a few months unemployed during each occurrence. But I found a way to bounce back and have been more and more satisfied with what I want while getting more money AND freedom with each subsequent job.

Please share your experiences. This open to everyone, including those where things have not worked out so well

I give it a full 8/10 where it took me.
I have grossed 140-150 annually since graduation in 2013 (not in Calif)...top year 180ish working the bottom of profession (bfe retail). I'm enjoying my retail career as I am in an area with fairly good rph demand, got to work at 2 different retailers and starting on a third soon. The ability to speak clear English and not be a jerk when doing transfers on the phone has gotten me several 135K job offers! Not joking! Pay is fine in retail but benefits could be better (not in Calif). In a several years I plan to gear down-want to buy home outright first. My success mainly comes from doing what others refuse (sweatshop retail in BFE) and by being more reliable than other rph in district. Even if there are thousands of new grads they will hesitate to move here, and previous DM has told me he flat out throws away out of state resumes.

If I had to do it over I would have done the residency or Calif route. I hear wages out there hitting 80+ per hour for PGY trained. Even if I can get 70 here there is no time plus half. I used to work OT like a fool for only 75/hr!

Lastly I will say there is absolutely no way I could be satisfied if I had graduated with a student loan over like 50K. Some rph I speak to have loans over 200K and I cannot fathom what it would be like to work retail and not get that forgiven!

 

[Niosh]

I'm a few years out, very satisfied. Fewer student loans would be nice, but it is what it is. I'm in rural Iowa, and despite how much hate rural life seems to get, I like it and plan to stay here. Qualifies me for PSLF too, as long as that pans out. I'll be just fine if it doesn't though. Pay and benefits are good for the area, could be better if I moved, but I don't want to do that. Salary exempt so no OT pay, but I don't want/get OT. Retirement seems good, IPERS and vacation is good enough, ~3 weeks but a very flexible schedule to the point that I have yet to run out of vacation time. I assume my experience will open doors for me, but I'm not at all looking so I can't really confirm. I guess no one is cold calling me with job offers, whatever that means for you.

0 satisfaction

About to throw it in the trash

Would either of you care to expand on why?

 

[lord999]

It worked out 9/10. No debt (including mortgage) and positive net worth within 5 years. Have a job that I can be fairly irresponsible in and harm and deaths are statistics. Never been fired but have served administrative leave which was a vacation. Although the job I have now doesn't technically require pharmacy as a background, I would not have known this job had existed much less take it if I were not a pharmacist. Have better job security than a pharmacist now, but could still go back to practice anytime. Have a full time domestic to deal with the drudgery of daily life (and avoid arguments about socks with the wife). Now working on my amateur baking skills, but generally unconcerned about the future. The best part is that I don't think about money anymore, saving doesn't do me any good beyond what I had done in my twenties. I still enjoy the work.

 

[PharmaSex]

I love it. It took me from a financial services career that would, on average...

Wow! That is awesome. I am just starting to get contacted by some recruiters here and there due to my wide experiences. I don't ever update my LinkedIn and so it's a bit harder to recruit me from that.

That is a ton of vacay that you get. Have you traveled much with it?

 

[PharmaSex]

0 satisfaction

About to throw it in the trash

Care to go into detail?

 

[PharmaSex]

I give it a full 8/10 where it took me.
I have grossed 140-150 annually since graduation in 2013 (not in Calif)...top year 180ish working the bottom of profession (bfe retail). I'm enjoying my retail career as I am in an area with fairly good rph demand, got to work at 2 different retailers and starting on a third soon. The ability to speak clear English and not be a jerk when doing transfers on the phone has gotten me several 135K job offers! Not joking! Pay is fine in retail but benefits could be better (not in Calif). In a several years I plan to gear down-want to buy home outright first. My success mainly comes from doing what others refuse (sweatshop retail in BFE) and by being more reliable than other rph in district. Even if there are thousands of new grads they will hesitate to move here, and previous DM has told me he flat out throws away out of state resumes.

If I had to do it over I would have done the residency or Calif route. I hear wages out there hitting 80+ per hour for PGY trained. Even if I can get 70 here there is no time plus half. I used to work OT like a fool for only 75/hr!

Lastly I will say there is absolutely no way I could be satisfied if I had graduated with a student loan over like 50K. Some rph I speak to have loans over 200K and I cannot fathom what it would be like to work retail and not get that forgiven!

I admire your hustle. Retail can be a gold mine if you can deal with the stress and have good techs to help you out. I was making around 150K when I first worked at rite aid by getting extra shifts. However, the low quality help and 12 hour shifts tore me a new one down and I left shortly after a year for the hospital setting.

How many scripts do you fill on a daily basis? And California, they way over rated on the pay. High state income tax, car is taxed as personal property, expensive gas, and those that make that rate often work for Kaiser and life in expensive ass areas. Like 2500 min rent for a non-luxury one bedroom expensive

 

[PharmaSex]

It worked out 9/10. No debt (including mortgage) and positive net worth within 5 years. Have a job that I can be fairly irresponsible in and harm and deaths are statistics. Never been fired but have served administrative leave which was a vacation. Although the job I have now doesn't technically require pharmacy as a background, I would not have known this job had existed much less take it if I were not a pharmacist. Have better job security than a pharmacist now, but could still go back to practice anytime. Have a full time domestic to deal with the drudgery of daily life (and avoid arguments about socks with the wife). Now working on my amateur baking skills, but generally unconcerned about the future. The best part is that I don't think about money anymore, saving doesn't do me any good beyond what I had done in my twenties. I still enjoy the work.

That's awesome! So what is it that you do now?

 

[lord999]

That's awesome! So what is it that you do now?

Policy and data oversight. It helps that you have a clinical background (and I think officially the job requires that you do), it's just that they could have appointed anyone. I paid my mortgage, my only major debt, working overnight pharmacy in graduate school though (went to school in the day and worked 7 on/7 off the entire way).

The last point deduction is from the fact that this profession could have been fairly pleasant to everyone, except greed and professional arrogance ruins it for everyone. There is no reason that someone should not be able to at least be comfortable in this business but for the torture we do to ourselves. I would not want to be a new practitioner in this era.

 

[Rukn]

Care to go into detail?

Why should I?

I'm not your entertainment


Or rather I should tear it up in front of the deans face and demand a refund

 

[VA77]

Pharmacy was a second career choice for me from IT. BS in comp sci and multiple certs. Licensed in multiple states and applied to so many positions that I have lost count. If somebody put the money I've invested to go back to school on the table and offer it to just walk away, I'd take the deal and run.

 

[BMBiology]

8/10 for me. I graduated at the right time.


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[steveysmith54]

7/10 for me. I don't work in retail anymore. Reason I say 7/10 is living in a very desirable location in SoCal, the job market is awful even for residency trained RPh. I do not have a residency so I am even more at a disadvantage. As Lord9999 mentioned, I would not want to be a new grad nowadays. My goal is to make it for 20 more years at the very least.

 

[PharmaSex]

Why should I?

I'm not your entertainment


Or rather I should tear it up in front of the deans face and demand a refund

Ok so your a whiny brat then. Don't get comment in a thread if you don't intend to participate in the discussion. I bet that's the reason you hate your job, more so, why the job hates you. Keep whining, you might make a career out of it

 

[Pharmacy Kid]

Why should I?

I'm not your entertainment

Or rather I should tear it up in front of the deans face and demand a refund

We want to know what went right or wrong for you. That way, others may learn or avoid that same situation. It is up to you whether you share that.

 

[owlegrad]

Hard to put on a 1-10 scale but I would rate my satisfaction very high. I like my job well enough and I make quite fine money compared to most. Almost done paying off student loans. If I still worked at CVS it would be a totally different story.

 

[confettiflyer]

0 satisfaction

About to throw it in the trash

Would either of you care to expand on why?

Why should I?

I'm not your entertainment

Here let's make up stories. Rukn probably got feces thrown at him by an irate patient who proceeded to urinate on the counseling window.

Then the patient got a $25 gift card and rukn got reprimanded.

The end.

 

[confettiflyer]

High state income tax, car is taxed as personal property, expensive gas, and those that make that rate often work for Kaiser and life in expensive ass areas. Like 2500 min rent for a non-luxury one bedroom expensive

I paid more as a percentage of income in Pennsylvania than in California, but I also quasi low income in PA... their flat tax hits the first dollar you earn (3% i think) whereas California has a more progressive tax system (the 1st $8k of income is taxed at 1%).

And car is taxed as personal property? What? I just pay reg fees and sales tax at the point of sale, so I guess that's sort of the same (reg fees are deductible on federal taxes).

I guess to put it plainly: I became a pharmacist so I could live in the California middle class.

 

[quickpic007]

I admire your hustle. Retail can be a gold mine if you can deal with the stress and have good techs to help you out. I was making around 150K when I first worked at rite aid by getting extra shifts. However, the low quality help and 12 hour shifts tore me a new one down and I left shortly after a year for the hospital setting.

How many scripts do you fill on a daily basis? And California, they way over rated on the pay. High state income tax, car is taxed as personal property, expensive gas, and those that make that rate often work for Kaiser and life in expensive ass areas. Like 2500 min rent for a non-luxury one bedroom expensive

it really is not stressful if you consider how the average citizen of say Baltimore or some 3rd world country has to live. Never been there, but you know air conditioned CVS is just a little better.
First company 600-700 weekly. Second company 3000 weekly.
No, I do not think CA is over rated. I'd be in Central valley printing money and Fresno rent is not too crazy. If not there, Redding. Who cares about taxes when your OT rate is 110 an hour.

Another facet of my success is coaxing techs to produce results. Just treat them better than the other rphs do and they produce! Magic!

 

[PAtoPharm]

Pharmacy was a second career choice for me from IT. BS in comp sci and multiple certs. Licensed in multiple states and applied to so many positions that I have lost count. If somebody put the money I've invested to go back to school on the table and offer it to just walk away, I'd take the deal and run.

So you haven't been able to find a pharmacist job yet? Just curious. Are you planning on returning to the IT field?

 

[PAtoPharm]

Why should I?

I'm not your entertainment


Or rather I should tear it up in front of the deans face and demand a refund

If you don't mind, can I ask if you ever managed to find a job? I remember you mentioned on here before that you were having a tough time with the saturation and everything

 

[PAtoPharm]

duplicate post

 

[PharmaSex]

Who cares about taxes when your OT rate is 110 an hour.

Another facet of my success is coaxing techs to produce results. Just treat them better than the other rphs do and they produce! Magic!

Damn. You get that much for OT? Do you manage to get a lot of overtime? Does anybody?

 

[lord999]

Damn. You get that much for OT? Do you manage to get a lot of overtime? Does anybody?

That's not uncommon to pay per diem companies per hour (actually, that's on the low end, it's usually time and a half plus $30). Looks like @quickpic007 has a management that's smart enough to keep the expenses in house than to use some mercenaries.

 

[VA77]

So you haven't been able to find a pharmacist job yet? Just curious. Are you planning on returning to the IT field?

Trying to find something in informatics.

 

[PAtoPharm]

Trying to find something in informatics.

My cousin is a sys admin who only completed a 1-year certification at a local technical college (might have taken even less time than that) and just completed a 1-year contract working for Cisco in NC doing something Linux-related. He made just under $100k; not sure about benefits, etc. Nothing like making a hospital pharmacist's salary with only 1 year of cheap formal education, as opposed to spending a minimum of 7 years (2 years undergrad, 4 years in pharmacy school, 1 year in residency) to make the same salary or less.

 

[PharmDBro2017]

My cousin is a sys admin who only completed a 1-year certification at a local technical college (might have taken even less time than that) and just completed a 1-year contract working for Cisco in NC doing something Linux-related. He made just under $100k; not sure about benefits, etc. Nothing like making a hospital pharmacist's salary with only 1 year of cheap formal education, as opposed to spending a minimum of 7 years (2 years undergrad, 4 years in pharmacy school, 1 year in residency) to make the same salary or less.

Lol, feel free to keep posting here, but don't post solely to bash our profession. Gtfo with that nonsense.

New grad here, hospital gig ~128k/yr, benefits and health insurance are both very good...I'm enjoying my degree thus far and looking forward to picking up some retail PRN on the side.

 

[Saiyo]

New grad here, hospital gig ~128k/yr, benefits and health insurance are both very good.

um what...if my gig was that good as a new grad I would be pretty satisfied too. Definitely not the norm though.

 

[AlwaysContrary]

My cousin is a sys admin who only completed a 1-year certification at a local technical college (might have taken even less time than that) and just completed a 1-year contract working for Cisco in NC doing something Linux-related. He made just under $100k; not sure about benefits, etc. Nothing like making a hospital pharmacist's salary with only 1 year of cheap formal education, as opposed to spending a minimum of 7 years (2 years undergrad, 4 years in pharmacy school, 1 year in residency) to make the same salary or less.

You're literally like the creepy 25 year old that still goes to high school parties complaining about how great life was in school. Move on bro

 

[PAtoPharm]

um what...if my gig was that good as a new grad I would be pretty satisfied too. Definitely not the norm though.

Exactly... in any other profession, people would insist on evaluating the viability of a job market on the basis of what objective, unbiased studies have to say about it. Instead, here on SDN, the indicators that people insist on referencing to make broad generalizations of the job market are entirely anecdotal; for example, the fact that PharmDBro found a good-paying hospital job as a new grad and that someone else's former classmate found a grocery store job in Atlanta should now be taken as an indicators that the pharmacist job market is actually in good shape, and that any studies or other publications whose conclusions dare suggest otherwise are simply false and disingenuous.

So even though PharmDBro's experience with obtaining a pharmacist job as a new grad is obviously not the norm, we are now expected to accept these anecdotes as if they truly DO represent the norm.

Yeah, only in pharmacy.

 

[confettiflyer]

Why are you still here


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[PharmDBro2017]

I was just making a point, it's not the norm, nor did I claim it to be.

You love to take the worst case scenario (pay and benefits wise) of our profession and extrapolate across the board to everyone's job. Ya, there are not so great jobs out there, but there are good jobs out there as well. The same goes for every profession, not just pharmacy. Shove the anecdotes where the sun don't shine PAtoPharm.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[smercer]

Exactly... in any other profession, people would insist on evaluating the viability of a job market on the basis of what objective, unbiased studies have to say about it. Instead, here on SDN, the indicators that people insist on referencing to make broad generalizations of the job market are entirely anecdotal; for example, the fact that PharmDBro found a good-paying hospital job as a new grad and that someone else's former classmate found a grocery store job in Atlanta should now be taken as an indicators that the pharmacist job market is actually in good shape, and that any studies or other publications whose conclusions dare suggest otherwise are simply false and disingenuous.

So even though PharmDBro's experience with obtaining a pharmacist job as a new grad is obviously not the norm, we are now expected to accept these anecdotes as if they truly DO represent the norm.

Yeah, only in pharmacy.

Where do you even get this? Seriously, the major consensus here is that the job market is in bad shape in many areas, but there are still areas with good prospects. I do not see anyone on the forum (outside of prepharm area) touting what you claim. However, the job market being in bad shape does not mean you cannot land desirable jobs without having to move. Clearly you are just a troll at this point.

 

[owlegrad]

The best part is he used to be the one ignoring the objective data! Oh the irony is rich.

Anyway I always appreciate first year expharmacy students letting us know how bad it is. Thanks for the illumination, as actual pharmacists I am sure no one here has any idea what the job market is like.

 

[AlwaysContrary]

Exactly... in any other profession, people would insist on evaluating the viability of a job market on the basis of what objective, unbiased studies have to say about it. Instead, here on SDN, the indicators that people insist on referencing to make broad generalizations of the job market are entirely anecdotal; for example, the fact that PharmDBro found a good-paying hospital job as a new grad and that someone else's former classmate found a grocery store job in Atlanta should now be taken as an indicators that the pharmacist job market is actually in good shape, and that any studies or other publications whose conclusions dare suggest otherwise are simply false and disingenuous.

So even though PharmDBro's experience with obtaining a pharmacist job as a new grad is obviously not the norm, we are now expected to accept these anecdotes as if they truly DO represent the norm.

Yeah, only in pharmacy.

Definitely not what I was referring too. I'm referring to your shear obsession to come on the the pharmacy forum to put down the profession. I looked on your profile and you come on here every single day. It's kinda concerning.

A lot of people don't realize that the job market sucks everywhere. I have a friend who graduated with a business degree thinking he would immediately become a manager at some operation making a cushy salary, but that did not happen to him. I've had many friends whom graduated college and still cannot find a job they want. I have friends in med school worried about finding a job because, unless you get in a competitive residency, a lot of the specialties are somewhat saturated or you have to move to an undesirable location to get a job (wait... that kinda sounds like pharmacy). Don't even get me started on Dentists. Based on your track record and your misinformation on the AA job market, I would imagine you might find it kind of tough to get the job you want.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

 

[LoveWillSaveTheDay]

A lot of people don't realize that the job market sucks everywhere. I have a friend who graduated with a business degree thinking he would immediately become a manager at some operation making a cushy salary, but that did not happen to him. I've had many friends whom graduated college and still cannot find a job they want. I have friends in med school worried about finding a job because, unless you get in a competitive residency, a lot of the specialties are somewhat saturated or you have to move to an undesirable location to get a job (wait... that kinda sounds like pharmacy). Don't even get me started on Dentists. Based on your track record and your misinformation on the AA job market, I would imagine you might find it kind of tough to get the job you want.

The grass is always greener on the other side.

Truth! The doctor I work part time for has two offices and really wants to expand to a third office but refuses to higher new grads. Doesn't want to take the time to train them. Not saying that that is the scenario everywhere but I can imagine a few other ROADs have the same mindset.

 

[PAtoPharm]

So in this thread, I recently learned that the physician job market is now saturated (despite there being no statistical evidence to indicate that's actually the case), and the job market for every other profession basically sucks just as much as pharmacy's. @AlwaysContrary also says I'm "misinformed" about the AA job market as well, although there is no evidence that I ever said anything inaccurate about the AA job market. Oh, that's right... since I disagreed with the people here who insisted that the AA job market must be in just as bad shape as pharmacy's (since OF COURSE a profession that offers what the AA profession offers for only 2 years of post-bac schooling would be saturated, because it simply makes sense to think that would be the case), I'm misinformed. And where's the evidence that the AA job market is currently in bad shape? Oh, that's right... there isn't any! It's just SDN members claiming that to be the case, so of course they must be right.

So if the job markets for physicians, finance professionals, PAs, AAs, NPs, CRNAs, and apparently virtually every other profession are just bad off as they are for pharmacy, then why don't any of the objective statistical indicators/studies say this is the case (e.g., BLS reports, industry-specific job market studies, etc.)? As an example, if the BLS shows that the PA profession is experiencing 30% job market growth and there are job openings in desirable and undesirable cities alike whereas the pharmacist job market is experiencing 3% growth and there are no job openings listed for anywhere but small, undesirable towns, then the most reliable objective indicators suggest that the PA job market is currently (this is the key word -- NOT the job market in 10 years) in better shape than pharmacy's.

And "don't even get you started on dentists?" What the hell is that supposed to mean? So you've also come to the conclusion based on your grand and almighty opinion that the dentist job market is another victim of Just-As-Bad-As-Pharmacy saturation, even though GA, AL, MS, and LA, have only 4 dental schools among these states? I guess when I do a search for dentist jobs in/around my area and see TONS of listings as compared to 0 results for pharmacist jobs, I'm still supposed to assume that the dentist job market is just as bad off as pharmacy's, because a few people here say so?

This had to be the most pitiful case of "misery loves company" that I've ever seen.

 

[Rouelle]

I would say my satisfaction would be 7/10. I'm a career changer and enjoyed my first career more. It was more intellectually rewarding and fit better with my introvert personality than pharmacy. On the flip side, I work maybe 70% of a FTE and still make a crap ton more money than I ever did in my first career. This gives me much more opportunity to spend time with my family and raise my own children than I would have had otherwise. These things are more important to me, so I never seriously consider going back.

 

[smercer]

This had to be the most pitiful case of "misery loves company" that I've ever seen.

I would think your quote is more representative of yourself than anyone else.

At the end of the day, unless there is a link to a study/data (which honestly is probably biased anyways), everything anyone says on here is always going to be mostly opinion with a some fact sprinkled in. However, I do find it pretty funny you are calling people out, yet when you make statements about job prospects, which were typically based on what you saw or heard (opinions, not fact), they are true and need nothing to back them up. For example, you have stated multiple times that new grads could not find work in Georgia right now. You also pointed out that there were no hospital jobs available, yet I sit here with a prn and full time hospital position as a new grad without a residency in Ga. Truth is, the job market in Ga is mediocre right now, but it is not as impossible as you have made it sound. I was able to get my positions because I was in the right place at the right time and had built a solid network of contacts.
So to get the thread back on track, I would rate my satisfaction as 8/10, as I got the job I wanted and I expect it to improve as I get my debt gone.

 

[confettiflyer]

Why are you still here


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[PAtoPharm]

I would think your quote is more representative of yourself than anyone else.

At the end of the day, unless there is a link to a study/data (which honestly is probably biased anyways), everything anyone says on here is always going to be mostly opinion with a some fact sprinkled in. However, I do find it pretty funny you are calling people out, yet when you make statements about job prospects, which were typically based on what you saw or heard (opinions, not fact), they are true and need nothing to back them up. For example, you have stated multiple times that new grads could not find work in Georgia right now. You also pointed out that there were no hospital jobs available, yet I sit here with a prn and full time hospital position as a new grad without a residency in Ga. Truth is, the job market in Ga is mediocre right now, but it is not as impossible as you have made it sound. I was able to get my positions because I was in the right place at the right time and had built a solid network of contacts.
So to get the thread back on track, I would rate my satisfaction as 8/10, as I got the job I wanted and I expect it to improve as I get my debt gone.

I believe I've said on here before that the only areas in GA that still have enough jobs to count as having a semblance of something called a "job market" are in south GA (Waycross, Moultrie, etc.). Is that where you had to move (or nearby)?

 

[smercer]

I believe I've said on here before that the only areas in GA that still have enough jobs to count as having a semblance of something called a "job market" are in south GA (Waycross, Moultrie, etc.). Is that where you had to move (or nearby)?

No, I am within 30 minutes of Atlanta (on the south side of the city) and did not have to move from where I lived prior to school.

 

[gwarm01]

I would think your quote is more representative of yourself than anyone else.

At the end of the day, unless there is a link to a study/data (which honestly is probably biased anyways), everything anyone says on here is always going to be mostly opinion with a some fact sprinkled in. However, I do find it pretty funny you are calling people out, yet when you make statements about job prospects, which were typically based on what you saw or heard (opinions, not fact), they are true and need nothing to back them up. For example, you have stated multiple times that new grads could not find work in Georgia right now. You also pointed out that there were no hospital jobs available, yet I sit here with a prn and full time hospital position as a new grad without a residency in Ga. Truth is, the job market in Ga is mediocre right now, but it is not as impossible as you have made it sound. I was able to get my positions because I was in the right place at the right time and had built a solid network of contacts.
So to get the thread back on track, I would rate my satisfaction as 8/10, as I got the job I wanted and I expect it to improve as I get my debt gone.

Good for you. What was it that Wayne Gretzky used to say? Something like "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Well, you took a shot and you nailed it. Good for you. Pharmacy isn't the sure shot guarantee where you could write your own paycheck like it was in the early 2000's, but there are still opportunities for those who are willing to go the extra mile.

Why are you still here

Who else is finally going to break the news to us that the pharmacy job market isn't as good as it used to be? Literally no one here is aware of the challenges in our profession. Duuuuhhh.

 

[PAtoPharm]

No, I am within 30 minutes of Atlanta (on the south side of the city) and did not have to move from where I lived prior to school.

Congratulations; however, how many recent pharmacy school graduates have had your luck as compared to the alternative (having to move to BFE, leave the state, etc.)? Also, to what lengths did you have to go to get the job? For example, were you one of the few students in your class who managed to get an intern job in a hospital, knew the right people, etc.? The fact that you even admitted to being in the right place at the right time and having connections is a testament to how much the job market sucks. It would be a totally different (I.e., much worse) situation for a new grad who didn't have those connections.

Also, now that I think about it, being 30 minutes south of the south side of ATL would probably put you at being maybe 15 minutes north of Warm Springs, which is basically BFE. So even though you managed to land a coveted hospital position, it's still in a somewhat rural area (and as we all now, south ATL isn't exactly Alpharetta). The only point I'm making is that even though you had connections and possibly other special circumstances that enabled you to land a hospital job, it took special connections to land a hospital job that ironically wouldn't even be considered to be a highly desirable one according to most people's standards. Who wants to bust their butt to out-hustle everyone else to get a "not great but it could be worse" job?

 

[smercer]

Congratulations; however, how many recent pharmacy school graduates have had your luck as compared to the alternative (having to move to BFE, leave the state, etc.)? Also, to what lengths did you have to go to get the job? For example, were you one of the few students in your class who managed to get an intern job in a hospital, knew the right people, etc.? The fact that you even admitted to being in the right place at the right time and having connections is a testament to how much the job market sucks. It would be a totally different (I.e., much worse) situation for a new grad who didn't have those connections.

Also, now that I think about it, being 30 minutes south of the south side of ATL would probably put you at being maybe 15 minutes north of Warm Springs, which is basically BFE. So even though you managed to land a coveted hospital position, it's still in a somewhat rural area (and as we all now, south ATL isn't exactly Alpharetta). The only point I'm making is that even though you had connections and possibly other special circumstances that enabled you to land a hospital job, it took special connections to land a hospital job that ironically wouldn't even be considered to be a highly desirable one according to most people's standards. Who wants to bust their butt to out-hustle everyone else to get a "not great but it could be worse" job?

Yes, you cannot just show up after school and expect a position where you want, but with good networking and (proving yourself competent on rotations) you can get good opportunities still. As I said, the job market is not great, but is not quite as bad as you make it seem (ie having to move to BFE). Also, it is based on perspective, as you would consider where I am close to being in BFE, but it is exactly where I would prefer to be. Cheap living expenses and within 1hr of most things around ATL.

 

[PAtoPharm]

Yes, you cannot just show up after school and expect a position where you want, but with good networking and (proving yourself competent on rotations) you can get good opportunities still. As I said, the job market is not great, but is not quite as bad as you make it seem (ie having to move to BFE). Also, it is based on perspective, as you would consider where I am close to being in BFE, but it is exactly where I would prefer to be. Cheap living expenses and within 1hr of most things around ATL.

I agree that whether or not an opportunity (if you can still call pharmacy that) is worthy of being pursued is largely dependent on an individual's expectations and perceptions of success. For me personally (and I know I can't be the only one), if I'm going to put in tons of effort to make better grades than everyone else, out-compete everyone else for that single hospital intern position, out-network everyone else and be involved in more clubs and activities than everyone else, and basically go above-and-beyond as a student, then it's going to be because the "pay-off" is a desirable job in a desirable area that offers good benefits, PTO, etc. Going to the lengths to be an above-and-beyond student JUST to get a job paying <$100k in a rural area that wouldn't even be considered desirable by most peoples' standards is simply not worth it to me.

Right now (and yes, I realize that this is likely to change in the future), an average PA or AA school graduate can get a great job in ATL or any medium-sized city in GA, along with a sign-on bonus and tuition repayment plan (yes, even in north ATL). The thought of busting my a$$ to be an exceptional pharmacy student JUST to get such a lousy, half-baked payout on the other end is just not even something I'm willing to entertain, especially knowing that I could be a "just decent" AA/PA school graduate and work almost anywhere in the state (and for at least $30k-$40k more than I'd earn as a rural GA hospital pharmacist, not including more PTO, better benefits, etc.).

I'm just curious... how are your other former pharmacy school classmates faring in the job market? Do you have any idea regarding how many of them have had to move out of state, to legit BFE, etc.?