If You Could Do it Again....Would You?

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SkiPharmer

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So..........I can't really complain as I work in a grocery store pharmacy do about 600-700 a week, no drive-thru and have decent patient population. BUt dont' you get f*#king sick of ringing people out at a register, gift card transfers, insurance companies, stupid people and overall getting no respect at all.. I do PRN work at a smaller community hospital so I know how inpatient is and the crappy things that come with that. But at least there you can yell back at the nurses if they are rude! I don't really regret pharmacy but it would be nice to have the respect that other health professionals get. Sooooo...if you could do it all over again would you? I think medical school is way too long and you piss away most of your 20's. The way the lame ass schools are opening up its only a matter of time before our salaries drop..........What are your thoughts?
 
I completely feel where you are coming from... "8 years of school..." I think... For this...
 
I mean I feel lucky since I have some law buddies who just graduated.....one is unemployed (but is about as lazy as you can get, went to a 4th tier school) and the other one makes $40,000 clerking for a judge and he always bitches to me how I can't complain cause I am an EXTREME amount of money (according to him).......but still I don't ever feel like a "professional"
 
I work in the same environment as the OP. Sometimes I feel like a robot. It's a job, it provides an income, that's it.

I don't worry about the respect. The public doesn't have respect for any institutions anyhow. Our society continues to degenerate; every man for themselves, me, me, me. It's a sign of the times.
 
SkiPharmer said:
So..........I can't really complain as I work in a grocery store pharmacy do about 600-700 a week, no drive-thru and have decent patient population. BUt dont' you get f*#king sick of ringing people out at a register, gift card transfers, insurance companies, stupid people and overall getting no respect at all.. I do PRN work at a smaller community hospital so I know how inpatient is and the crappy things that come with that. But at least there you can yell back at the nurses if they are rude! I don't really regret pharmacy but it would be nice to have the respect that other health professionals get. Sooooo...if you could do it all over again would you? I think medical school is way too long and you piss away most of your 20's. The way the lame ass schools are opening up its only a matter of time before our salaries drop..........What are your thoughts?
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I would not do it. I mean if I were an 18 year old kid thinking where to go now. Personally I am happy with my decision. I have zero loans, work in a hospital, do hybrid pharmacist job. Already have almost 2 years of experience under my belt. But today pharmacy looks really bleak 7-8 years from now. In the future if they want to make cuts (and eventually they will, coz current system is not sustainable), in my opinion, pharmacy will suffer the most. I mean there are hospitals and other health settings that operate without pharmacists (at least not 24/7). Medical and nursing staff is always 24/7.
 
Have to confess I have mostly enjoyed my 60 years in pharmacy, started at 16 as a Saturday boy. Pharmacy has enabled me to experience:
Working in community, hospital, industry, teaching. Taken me over good portion of the globe and given me a fairly comfortable retirement. However, I now realise I have lived what has been a golden age for pharmacy which is coming to an end. Would I do it again?
Not sure what else would interest someone who loves all things scientific and technical.
johnep
 
konkan said:
I would not do it. I mean if I were an 18 year old kid thinking where to go now. Personally I am happy with my decision. I have zero loans, work in a hospital, do hybrid pharmacist job. Already have almost 2 years of experience under my belt. But today pharmacy looks really bleak 7-8 years from now. In the future if they want to make cuts (and eventually they will, coz current system is not sustainable), in my opinion, pharmacy will suffer the most. I mean there are hospitals and other health settings that operate without pharmacists (at least not 24/7). Medical and nursing staff is always 24/7.
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The only reason why I would do it again is because the delayed gratification for medical school is quite daunting to think about. I mean, you don't get a decent paycheck until you're 30.
However, I would have done the 2+4 pharmacy route, not the 4+4 path. Graduating 2 years earlier would have made a big difference. There were a plethora of jobs, in all types of pharmacy, in this state a couple of years ago.

My second job will be at that type of pharmacy. They have to have a pharmacist available after hours...

Due to the job market, I'm trying my best to "turn lemons into lemonade".
So... I had to move back to my hometown to work, I got a thrifty mortgage, and I'm taking college classes again to learn a new skill and defer my student loans so that I can manage them on my own terms.
In order to get out of this student loan mess, roughly 90% of my paycheck has been going towards debt. I mean... if they lay me off from my full-time job, the last thing that I want to worry about is how I'm going to pay my student loans.

Once my student loans are officially deferred, I will start dumping cash into the highest rate private loan. Once that loan is gone, I will do the same with all of the other private, non-subsidized loans leaving federal, subsidized loans to pay last, either after I graduate again or whenever I'm ready to stop taking classes.

Now... it's time to go study for my quiz. 😛
 
SkiPharmer said:
So..........I can't really complain as I work in a grocery store pharmacy do about 600-700 a week, no drive-thru and have decent patient population. BUt dont' you get f*#king sick of ringing people out at a register, gift card transfers, insurance companies, stupid people and overall getting no respect at all.. I do PRN work at a smaller community hospital so I know how inpatient is and the crappy things that come with that. But at least there you can yell back at the nurses if they are rude! I don't really regret pharmacy but it would be nice to have the respect that other health professionals get. Sooooo...if you could do it all over again would you? I think medical school is way too long and you piss away most of your 20's. The way the lame ass schools are opening up its only a matter of time before our salaries drop..........What are your thoughts?
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When I entered pharmacy the economy was starting to turn... had I known what I know now about the job prospects and the way things in my personal life would have turned out - I wouldn't honestly have made the same choice. Of course hindsight is 20/20. However, we are stuck with our decisions and I think the best that we can do is try our very best to overcome whatever adversity.

My plan before was to use my PharmD to fund my education but that looks less certain as I'm sure they would rather hire a full-time pharmacist rather than a part-time one due to saturation/economy. 🙁
 
I could not agree with the OP more. I am currently working for a big chain , and i do feel tired and bored most of the time ringing register, drive thru, and dealing with all crap on a daily basis. On the bright side, i am happy that i have a job . Would i do it over ? I am not sure.
 
SkiPharmer said:
So..........I can't really complain as I work in a grocery store pharmacy do about 600-700 a week, no drive-thru and have decent patient population. BUt dont' you get f*#king sick of ringing people out at a register, gift card transfers, insurance companies, stupid people and overall getting no respect at all.. I do PRN work at a smaller community hospital so I know how inpatient is and the crappy things that come with that. But at least there you can yell back at the nurses if they are rude! I don't really regret pharmacy but it would be nice to have the respect that other health professionals get. Sooooo...if you could do it all over again would you? I think medical school is way too long and you piss away most of your 20's. The way the lame ass schools are opening up its only a matter of time before our salaries drop..........What are your thoughts?
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Honestly what else would you do? You work in a slow grocery store with no drive through. You are inside out of the elements. No one is shooting at you. You do not have to perform manual labor. You make over a 100k a year. Trust me. From my experiences you could have it much worse.

I complain alot about the direction pharmacy is heading. I complain because I care and I see the potential our profession has. I love being a pharmacist and have never regretted my desicion. In fact I marvel everyday at how lucky I was to get into this. I may not love the the direction corp retail chains are taking the profession but I do love being a pharmacist.

What would you go back and do that could give you the kind of life you have now?
 
blueclassring said:
I work in the same environment as the OP. Sometimes I feel like a robot. It's a job, it provides an income, that's it.

I don't worry about the respect. The public doesn't have respect for any institutions anyhow. Our society continues to degenerate; every man for themselves, me, me, me. It's a sign of the times.
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I feel the same way. A job is a job and I have had some pretty bad ones. I am always looking for new and exciting opportunities. My wife asked me the other day if I was unhappy woking retail pharmacy. I thought about it and I told her I am neither unhappy nor am I happy. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the equivalent to damnation in hell or working at CVS and 10 being in total bliss I would say my job rates a 5. Its a job and thats it. I show up do what I have to do nad go home and enjoy my family.

I have worked for a couple of retail chains over the last 7 years and it is all the same. Maybe 10% of your customers actually respect and appreciate what you do. I try and focus on them. The bad, grumpy, disrespectful, rude and crappy people we deal with on a daily basis are forgotten before they even walk out of the pharmacy. Why focus on the negative and on things you cannot change.
 
im happy i met some good friends in life from my experiences BUT I WOULD NOT GO INTO PHARMACY AGAIN!

If my former school would buy back my pharmacy degree from me and get rid of my loans, i would without hesitation give it back to them. that offer goes for anyone reading this. if you will pay my loans off, i will sign a contract to never ever work in pharmacy again (i am very serious about this).

pharmacy isnt some bliss that they try to sell you. the cornerstone of pharmacy is retail. most people in pharmacy are life-longers in their jobs. there is no way to earn money for yourself with the regulations.

residency doesn't do anything for you, it is a dream being sold to you from others. it isnt like you gained some new skill that you can bill for.

i would recommend people avoid pharmacy at all costs. it has not changed in forever and it never will. the work that pharmacists do is not fulfilling and boring. most pharmacists you talk to (YES, NOT ON STUDENTDOCTOR), do not enjoy being in pharmacy. pharmacy was just a way to give them time with their family, time for other things, etc. with the job market you have plenty of time to sit and look for jobs forever with all that downtime. no jobs people.

look at nursing. nursing you have soooooooo many avenues you can branch out into. in pharmacy you are stuck. nurses lobby to get new practice models, they have unions, their salaries and pay increases, they work less than pharmacists with great perks. they also are able to go be a CRNA or NP and have more patient interaction and can do global relief. you can't do that in pharmacy. you cannot go do global relief, you gonna show up in uganda and start counting by five, throwing it in a bottle, and passing it out?

fact is, when you go to any setting, you do NOT need a lot of pharmacists. most hospital pharmacies do not have many on at the same time. so consider that when you think of the field. its going down the drain fast.
 
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PharmaTope said:
im happy i met some good friends in life from my experiences BUT I WOULD NOT GO INTO PHARMACY AGAIN!

If my former school would buy back my pharmacy degree from me and get rid of my loans, i would without hesitation give it back to them. that offer goes for anyone reading this. if you will pay my loans off, i will sign a contract to never ever work in pharmacy again (i am very serious about this).

pharmacy isnt some bliss that they try to sell you. the cornerstone of pharmacy is retail. most people in pharmacy are life-longers in their jobs. there is no way to earn money for yourself with the regulations.

residency doesn't do anything for you, it is a dream being sold to you from others. it isnt like you gained some new skill that you can bill for.

i would recommend people avoid pharmacy at all costs. it has not changed in forever and it never will. the work that pharmacists do is not fulfilling and boring. most pharmacists you talk to (YES, NOT ON STUDENTDOCTOR), do not enjoy being in pharmacy. pharmacy was just a way to give them time with their family, time for other things, etc. with the job market you have plenty of time to sit and look for jobs forever with all that downtime. no jobs people.

look at nursing. nursing you have soooooooo many avenues you can branch out into. in pharmacy you are stuck. nurses lobby to get new practice models, they have unions, their salaries and pay increases, they work less than pharmacists with great perks. they also are able to go be a CRNA or NP and have more patient interaction and can do global relief. you can't do that in pharmacy. you cannot go do global relief, you gonna show up in uganda and start counting by five, throwing it in a bottle, and passing it out?

fact is, when you go to any setting, you do NOT need a lot of pharmacists. most hospital pharmacies do not have many on at the same time. so consider that when you think of the field. its going down the drain fast.
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Nurses work less than pharmacists? My aunt will be so excitted when I tell her the news that she doesn't have to work so hard! Dude, nurses have the worst job in healthcare - I have nothing but respect for how hard their job is. I just cannot imagine that anyone thinks pharmacists work more than nurses. That is just crazy talk.

I am going on a global health trip in March. Shall I call my trip leader and let her know that because I am not a nurse/MD I cannot go on such a trip? I first learned about the trips from my IPPE preceptor who goes on these trips every year. I guess I should let him know he can't do them anymore.
 
Sure, I would choose pharmacy again. It was a very conscious choice for me, weighing many factors. And it allowed me to get into the profession I love (not directly related to pharmacy, but getting here without PharmD would have been a much longer (we are talking 10+ years more) and much more difficult process). Not to mention I would have been paid a lot less along the way.

As far as all the fears about the future... come on, don't you think you are the first people to ever face uncertain future employment? Or even first graduating pharmacy students in the US to face uncertain future? 🙂

Economy goes through booms and busts all the time, that's life. I only pray that my retirement, as remote as it is, comes during a boom time. Or that I get rich enough not to worry about such trivial things anymore (as if, right?).
 
IndustryPharmD said:
Sure, I would choose pharmacy again. It was a very conscious choice for me, weighing many factors. And it allowed me to get into the profession I love (not directly related to pharmacy, but getting here without PharmD would have been a much longer (we are talking 10+ years more) and much more difficult process). Not to mention I would have been paid a lot less along the way.

As far as all the fears about the future... come on, don't you think you are the first people to ever face uncertain future employment? Or even first graduating pharmacy students in the US to face uncertain future? 🙂

Economy goes through booms and busts all the time, that's life. I only pray that my retirement, as remote as it is, comes during a boom time. Or that I get rich enough not to worry about such trivial things anymore (as if, right?).
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I was always told that healthcare jobs were immune to that sort of thing.
 
Things are totally different now. Old timers need to face the facts.
We are now entering an unemployment and student loan crisis like never seen before. How will graduates pay back their loans if the market does not lend to more jobs? $150-200K does not dissolve overnight.
 
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For those who said they wouldn't do it all over again...what would you have done instead?? Med school? Dental school? Something else in health care or something completely different?

If the market wasn't in the state it is in right now, if there was going to be more and more opportunities in the future...would you be saying the same thing?

I'm looking to start pharmacy school in the fall and have several interviews lined up. I've spent the last year working at a retail pharmacy as a tech and I'm really starting to dislike it. I'm wondering what other career choices I have at this point. I'm approaching 27 with a B.S. in Biology. Besides the retail pharmacy work, I've held research positions in the past that paid peanuts and would never be enough to support a future family on. Pharmacy seemed like a stable profession with great pay and perks...but maybe not?
 
PharmDstudent said:
Things are totally different now. Old timers need to face the facts.
We are now entering an unemployment and student loan crisis like never seen before. How will graduates pay back their loans if the market does not lend to more jobs? $150-200K does not dissolve overnight.
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Don't make it sound like pharmacy students face extraordinary hardship that no student has ever faced before. That is just blatantly untrue.

Even if we ignore the past (that wasn't always as rosy as late 1990s/early 2000s, BTW), would you rather graduate with the same loans and a law degree? Or somewhat less in loans and a useless liberal arts degree? Graduating pharmacy students still have a lot better than 50% odds of landing a pharmacist position, and when they do, it pays enough to pay off loans. Not many fields out there can say the same things.

The gravy train has left the station, and all of those who only entered pharmacy profession because they wanted to catch it have to just suck it up. That doesn't mean that pharmacy is an awful field. It's just no longer guaranteed to be easy. Guess what? Life is all about uncertainty. Accept it as a fact and move on. Sure, I am one of the those lucky people to enter pharmacy field when it was at its best - but when I chose pharmacy, that wasn't the case and therefore did not factor into my choice.
 
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Probably wouldn't go to Rx school again, even though I'm enjoying working in a small community hospital.
 
PharmDstudent said:
Things are totally different now. Old timers need to face the facts.
We are now entering an unemployment and student loan crisis like never seen before. How will graduates pay back their loans if the market does not lend to more jobs? $150-200K does not dissolve overnight.
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Hopefully, student loans are the next target on the bailout agenda.
 
I would not do it again... but at this point (second semester P1 year) is it really too late to do something else?
 
IndustryPharmD said:
Don't make it sound like pharmacy students face extraordinary hardship that no student has ever faced before. That is just blatantly untrue.

Even if we ignore the past (that wasn't always as rosy as late 1990s/early 2000s, BTW), would you rather graduate with the same loans and a law degree? Or somewhat less in loans and a useless liberal arts degree? Graduating pharmacy students still have a lot better than 50% odds of landing a pharmacist position, and when they do, it pays enough to pay off loans. Not many fields out there can say the same things.

The gravy train has left the station, and all of those who only entered pharmacy profession because they wanted to catch it have to just suck it up. That doesn't mean that pharmacy is an awful field. It's just no longer guaranteed to be easy. Guess what? Life is all about uncertainty. Accept it as a fact and move on. Sure, I am one of the those lucky people to enter pharmacy field when it was at its best - but when I chose pharmacy, that wasn't the case and therefore did not factor into my choice.
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What does a basic liberal arts degree have to do with being a professional?

I would rather have a law degree than be denied a job by countless companies. Whenever my SO's brother lost his intellectual properties job, he opened his own firm within a month or two in the same building.
That's the difference between pharmacy and just about every other profession - by and large, we are nothing more than employees at the whim of corporations!
Opening a pharmacy is very cost-prohibitive. Opening a law firm, on the other hand, only takes an office, a few nails to hang your degree, a phone to gab on, and a copy machine.
 
PharmDstudent said:
What does a basic liberal arts degree have to do with being a professional?
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And what does the word "professional" have to do with entitlement to secure job and high salary? A label is just a label.
I would rather have a law degree than be denied a job by countless companies. Whenever my SO's brother lost his intellectual properties job, he opened his own firm within a month or two in the same building.
That's the difference between pharmacy and just about every other profession - by and large, we are nothing more than employees at the whim of corporations!
Opening a pharmacy is very cost-prohibitive. Opening a law firm, on the other hand, only takes an office, a few nails to hang your degree, a phone to gab on, and a copy machine.
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Naive. Having had a job and experience before striking out on one's own is very different from having to do it fresh out of school. There are plenty of blogs about hapless law students, there was a recent NY Times article citing them. I suggest you read them to see why law sucks more than pharmacy.

Also, if you open a pharmacy, people will start coming through the door. If you open a law firm, you have to either have pre-existing clients to take with you, or you have to advertise. And unless you have built up a reputation, you will not generate much decent business. I know a few friends who are independent lawyers, and they all want to get a regular job instead. I have technically owned my own consulting business, which also required only computer and a phone, and it was anything but lucrative. 😀 At least, if you are an employee you KNOW you will get paid. As an independent, you have to hope someone wants to do business with you. And when they do, you have to hope they pay you, preferably within the next six months.

And just yesterday I saw the latest report on independent pharmacy owners. Average income is still about 250K if you open your own pharmacy. 😉
 
You only get paid if THEY want to continue paying you.

I can't remember how much exactly, but whenever Dr M opened his pharmacy, he and his partner had to have a decent chunk of money to start, and pharmacy students simply don't have that. So starting an indy pharmacy right out of pharm school is highly unlikely.
 
PharmDstudent said:
You only get paid if THEY want to continue paying you.
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Of course. And I think the thread about unions provides some very good arguments for why this is not a bad thing. I have been laid off before. It's not such a scary thing if you are mentally, financially and otherwise prepared.

can't remember how much exactly, but whenever Dr M opened his pharmacy, he and his partner had to have a decent chunk of money to start, and pharmacy students simply don't have that. So starting an indy pharmacy right out of pharm school is highly unlikely.
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Starting any business right out of school is not a winning proposition. Most small businesses will fail. And if you have no experience and no way to differentiate yourself (i.e. do not have the great idea, like Google founders or Facebook founder had), your odds of failure go exponentially up.
 
Holy cow I started reading this thread as my wife has occasionally kicked around the idea of going back to school, possibly Pharm (she has a BS in Medical Technology).

This thread paints a pretty grim picture🙁

truth be told, it always seemed (from the outside) like you guys have a pretty good gig. (I know, I know, the grass is always greener)
 
blueclassring said:
I work in the same environment as the OP. Sometimes I feel like a robot. It's a job, it provides an income, that's it.

I don't worry about the respect. The public doesn't have respect for any institutions anyhow. Our society continues to degenerate; every man for themselves, me, me, me. It's a sign of the times.
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aint that the dann truth.
 
IndustryPharmD said:
... At least, if you are an employee you KNOW you will get paid....
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This is how I feel about it. My parents owned a (successful) business, and I can tell you I will never do the same. I love my parents, but our whole lives revolved around that damn business. I want a job where I go to work, do my job, and enjoy the rest of my life.

This is not meant to take away anyone's accomplishments regarding business ownership, just wanted to provide an alternative perspective. It takes all kinds, but whenever I hear about someone wanting to start their own business I usually get the feeling that they have no idea what they are in for.
 
ispeshaled said:
For those who said they wouldn't do it all over again...what would you have done instead?? Med school? Dental school? Something else in health care or something completely different?

If the market wasn't in the state it is in right now, if there was going to be more and more opportunities in the future...would you be saying the same thing?

I'm looking to start pharmacy school in the fall and have several interviews lined up. I've spent the last year working at a retail pharmacy as a tech and I'm really starting to dislike it. I'm wondering what other career choices I have at this point. I'm approaching 27 with a B.S. in Biology. Besides the retail pharmacy work, I've held research positions in the past that paid peanuts and would never be enough to support a future family on. Pharmacy seemed like a stable profession with great pay and perks...but maybe not?
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You sound a bit like me. Now I'm third year PharmD, so no turning back now. I just got my annual loan statement today so I'm feeling sort of depressed right now. I don't know if I would do it again or not at this point (I really hate retail with a passion), but reading these doom and gloom threads isn't helping my outlook any.
 
Of course I would. There are so many opportunities if you are properly trained and identify your strength to sell your service other people can't.
 
Absolutely. I've been incredibly lucky during my education, and have truly enjoyed most of it (including the parts I complained about...). I took every opportunity I had to make the most of my time and haven't regretted a thing I've done. I'm in the process of interviewing for fantastic residency positions, and look forward to the next step in my career.

To any students in the early stages of your education: stop waiting for doors to open for you. Open them yourselves. With dedication, the possibilities are endless.
 
IndustryPharmD said:
Also, if you open a pharmacy, people will start coming through the door. If you open a law firm, you have to either have pre-existing clients to take with you, or you have to advertise. And unless you have built up a reputation, you will not generate much decent business. I know a few friends who are independent lawyers, and they all want to get a regular job instead. I have technically owned my own consulting business, which also required only computer and a phone, and it was anything but lucrative. 😀 At least, if you are an employee you KNOW you will get paid. As an independent, you have to hope someone wants to do business with you. And when they do, you have to hope they pay you, preferably within the next six months.

And just yesterday I saw the latest report on independent pharmacy owners. Average income is still about 250K if you open your own pharmacy. 😉
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Is that average income assuming that you are the only pharmacist there? Or does it take into account paying another pharmacist, paying the techs, paying apprentices (if I open my own place, I refuse to call them interns, they will be apprentices).

Also, adding to the people just walking through the door, part of scouting out a location, I would find a rural location, find a good doctor's office, and build the pharmacy right next to it.
 
I don't like it, but I also don't really hate it. When I think about the people that make $8/hr and what they make all day is equal to what I make in an hour, then I'm thankful that I have a job that pays so well. I have around $100K in student loans and my goal is to pay it off in 2 years. Everybody is different. Some people think that is not the way to live and enjoy your life, but to me, having that big debt/dark cloud over my head, I can't enjoy life.

So would I have done it all over again? Yes. Because it pays well enough for me to use the money (after I'm done paying off loans) to do other things that I love. Really, how many people out there really, truly love their jobs?

I'm thankful to have a job and my debt is looking smaller and smaller every month.
 
Medical school is way too long, I like many of my friends all think it's just an easy ride getting in there because getting lor's from peeps are easy. There are ways to cheat in all schools in the us to get the top grades. It's all about dumb helping out dumb. You don't need a brain to be in these professions, just have the connections, know how to talk like a dumb thing, and brag a lot as you move up. Like my buddies from school, I look like somebody just beat me with a bat, but still feel confident over the roof. My folks curse around the house and I don't give a _ about anything. My brain is full of junks. I got all kinds of problems but still rising to the top taking advantage of people along the way. That's how you make it under the liberty statue babe.
 
Like everything else in life, it is really what you do as a pharmacist that matters.
 
I still got 4 years ahead of me, but I chose this profession over the rest because of how readily I'll be available for my family, church and live comfortably as well. I'm the type of person that loathes debt/loans, so I'll put in as much $$ as I can to pay off the the student loan as quickly as possible.
 
IndustryPharmD said:
And what does the word "professional" have to do with entitlement to secure job and high salary? A label is just a label.

Naive. Having had a job and experience before striking out on one's own is very different from having to do it fresh out of school. There are plenty of blogs about hapless law students, there was a recent NY Times article citing them. I suggest you read them to see why law sucks more than pharmacy.

Also, if you open a pharmacy, people will start coming through the door. If you open a law firm, you have to either have pre-existing clients to take with you, or you have to advertise. And unless you have built up a reputation, you will not generate much decent business. I know a few friends who are independent lawyers, and they all want to get a regular job instead. I have technically owned my own consulting business, which also required only computer and a phone, and it was anything but lucrative. 😀 At least, if you are an employee you KNOW you will get paid. As an independent, you have to hope someone wants to do business with you. And when they do, you have to hope they pay you, preferably within the next six months.

And just yesterday I saw the latest report on independent pharmacy owners. Average income is still about 250K if you open your own pharmacy. 😉
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Yeah, that sounds about right...although my partner and I opted to hire another pharmacist, so we have more time off; 185-200k is more like it for us...😀
 
I would definitely do it again but I'm really glad I went through school and residency when I did. I feel pretty confident about my resume even in these times.
 
I would definitely do it again, the pay is good, and the stories are even better.
 
I would definitely do it again. I find my hospital job rewarding and I love teaching students. As soon as I lifted from my depression, I realized how good I had it!
 
Doctor M said:
Yeah, that sounds about right...although my partner and I opted to hire another pharmacist, so we have more time off; 185-200k is more like it for us...😀
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200k for each partner?
 
Hmmm.. I don't know. I moved 2 thousand miles away from home to take on 4 years of (impressively high) debt at a relatively unknown school. I'm holding my breath that my already supersaturated hometown will have job openings by the time I'm done.
 
Yes. I'd do it all over again. And exactly the same way. The economy and the job market bites right now. People...ADAPT!!! Change will run you over if you yield to its force. Stop whining.

There is still a lot of opportunity out there for Pharm.D.s, the only difference is now you have to work harder and be smart and creative. Work multiple internships, meet people, make connections. WORK!

I think it could bear well for some of us, especially those of us who have business ambitions! 🙂

Like my friend Industry said, if you can make it as an independent in the pharmacy world, you can do quite well. That's not to say it's easy, however.
 
nafcillin said:
I would definitely do it again. I find my hospital job rewarding and I love teaching students. As soon as I lifted from my depression, I realized how good I had it!
Click to expand...

Great to see you back! I'm so relieved. I was quite worried about you for awhile there.

Good, good, and good.
🙂
 
PharmDstudent said:
What does a basic liberal arts degree have to do with being a professional?

I would rather have a law degree than be denied a job by countless companies. Whenever my SO's brother lost his intellectual properties job, he opened his own firm within a month or two in the same building.
That's the difference between pharmacy and just about every other profession - by and large, we are nothing more than employees at the whim of corporations!
Opening a pharmacy is very cost-prohibitive. Opening a law firm, on the other hand, only takes an office, a few nails to hang your degree, a phone to gab on, and a copy machine.
Click to expand...

Ok, last post, I promise. Law students have debt, too. Does this sound familiar: "Do you suffer from mesothelioma?" When's the last time you needed a lawyer?

When's the last time you needed a pharmacist?

Times are tough right now but I'm quite glad I'm not in law school right now. There isn't much demand at all and does the phrase "blood sucking" ring a bell?

For those who choose law for the right reasons; for those who don't...what a sad life.
 
jinga said:
Yes. I'd do it all over again. And exactly the same way. The economy and the job market bites right now. People...ADAPT!!! Change will run you over if you yield to its force. Stop whining.

There is still a lot of opportunity out there for Pharm.D.s, the only difference is now you have to work harder and be smart and creative. Work multiple internships, meet people, make connections. WORK!

I think it could bear well for some of us, especially those of us who have business ambitions! 🙂

Like my friend Industry said, if you can make it as an independent in the pharmacy world, you can do quite well. That's not to say it's easy, however.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to pick on you or anything, Jinga, but I don't think students can really answer this question fairly because we're not "out there" yet. Even if you work as an intern, it's really not the same thing as being in practice. I'm giving it another 3-5 years before I decide how I really feel about things. 🙂
 
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