Pharmacy High School Student Looking for some Guidance - Is Pharmacy worth it?

[lord999]

Hello SDN's finest,

About four years ago (on an account I can't remember) I had asked people here if pharmacy was still a viable career. It got a mixed bag response- about half saying yes and the others saying no. It seems as if things have just gotten more "doom and gloom" over time, so I wanted to be as specific as possible and get a response from trusted individuals who are well informed on an already trusted forum.

I’ve been interested in pharmacy for about five years now. I was interested in it originally because I wanted to work in the medical field and I’m good at technology, so the career seemed like a fitting combination of the two. As my high school career went on, I discovered my love for chemistry and math, so it felt as if my original selection was accurate. I’m currently taking AP Chemistry right now, and I’m having a blast in it. I want to also be altruistic in my career. I want to help people, and if possible, see the direct results of my help. I would say the research field would be fine, but I honestly don’t want to be held up in a lab for my entire career. Pharmacy honestly seemed like the natural convergence of all of these desires. (To get a better idea of what I’m interested in, I saw UT offers this Research Project in its Pharmacy program, and I was extremely interested in it.)

Let’s talk money now. I was born into an admittedly wealthy family, so to establish things right out of the gate, the debt of pharmacy school really isn’t a problem for me. I obviously wouldn’t want to rack up too much, because I don’t want to take advantage of them even if it’s a gift. But I just wanted to mention this because this isn’t the most significant factor for me. On the other hand, I would like to make close to (if not) six figures. In the city where I live, the average salary of a pharmacist is ~$120k a year. I take that figure with a grain of salt because I understand the saturation crisis that seems to be going on.

Not sure if this final detail is relevant, but I’d eventually like to found a pharmaceutical research and development company, so I’m not sure what career in the industry would set me up to do that.

So, with all of this in mind, is pharmacy what I should be going for? Is something else in the pharmaceutical industry, like pharmacology or being a pharmaceutical chemist more of what I’m looking for? I’ve done as much homework as possible, but I want opinions from trustable individuals that have experience in the field to get a realistic and accurate answer. I also feel as if my situation is unique in that school expenses really isn’t a factor for me. So many people advocate against the field because of the saturation that is going on, but I don’t want to skip out on something I could be potentially very passionate about because of horror stories about stress and money.

You really should read the Pharmacy forum (especially the jobs subforum) yourself. I personally do not think that even in five years, someone who really, really wants to do pharmacy can work in it, but would you want to be a pharmacist for $80k (the salary the year I graduated)? How about $60k? If you can see yourself working for less, it is still viable. If you want to actually do pharmaceuticals as a business, you do not become just a pharmacist, you would need to enter PhD studies (not MD medical ones without the PhD) in order to get the necessary development background. (Before I get flamed by the rest of the industry personnel who do not have PhDs, I ask you to think of the most general degree possible for the PhRMA world, and that any other degree except the MD can be obtained by a PhD, but not the opposite way around.)

You do not have the experience to ask the question yet until you do some actual work. Why don't you volunteer in a hospital for a spell and see how that works? Not saying that it will weed you out (it shouldn't honestly), but it may help focus your question a bit better as you speak in high generalities.

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[BC_89]

To answer your question:

No.

You still have a long way to go as far as figuring out what in the sciences you enjoy. When you get to college and finish your year of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry then you can start leaning on what job fits best to your interests and hobbies. Based on what you are describing, that sounds almost the opposite of pharmacy and 100% in research toward a PhD. In the long run, you can always teach academics and do research at a pharmacy program (ie teach Pharmacokinetics and maybe in the future Pharmacogenomics).

Read this to learn about Cost of Living and Inflation when it comes to making a six figure salary:

Job Saturation: Is Pharmacy Worth It? Here's What You Need to Know - The $200 Challenge

** Job Saturation: Is Pharmacy Worth It? Here’s What You Need to Know ** Welcome to the $200 Challenge Link & Submission If you were redirected to this thread by the above link (set up by one of our active SDN users), please read the information below and submit your answer(s) if you have...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Once you do that, read this about the current job market (think in terms of hours, not salaried):

Job Market

Pharmacy job market discussions and opportunities.

forums.studentdoctor.net

The programs that do research (mine does the same) is toward a Masters in "research" without actually going the PhD route unless you decide to extend your schooling from pharmacy. I think in a few years when you go to undergrad and work as a pharmacy technician you'll see what is being talked about. For now, explore the sciences and enjoy the math while you still can.