Is pharmacy a good career choice??

[sonpat]

Hi so I applied for Rutgers Pharmacy 6 year program and I got in with a 13k annual scholarship for my first four years + Honors College. I am instate as well and live like 5 minutes away from Rutgers so I'll probably dorm for my first 2 years and then live at home. I'm not sure how much it will cost in total for all 6 years, I think 60k-70k? But, my brother is at RU Pharm and he's telling me it's not a good career choice and that it's become over saturated and he's struggling to find residencies... I'm just worried that if I do pharmacy, I'll struggle to find jobs! Any advice????

I'm really sorry if this comes off as "trollish" or rude, I'm just confused and I need guidance

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[PharmtoCS]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics revised its projections of pharmacist job growth to 3% within the next 10 years, as mergers and acquisitions (i.e. Rite Aid + Walgreens, Target + CVS), Walmart closures, and automation of processes will likely eliminate almost as many positions that will be created. 3% in 10 years is 9,100 new positions, or 910 pharmacists per year. Nearly 15,000 students graduate from pharmacy schools each year, and that number is expected to continue to increase as more schools open with no end in sight.

So no, pharmacy is not a good choice of career, especially for one that requires a professional degree and an astronomical amount of student loans. There are better ones such as engineering, finance, computer science, etc. that have good to excellent job prospects, less education time, and pay that is as good if not better than for pharmacists.

 

[pharmtasmic]

If you are already doubting it, then maybe you already have your answer. You still have time to explore many other options, even outside of healthcare. There are other career fields that have more to offer, as stoichiometrist says. But keep in mind theres really no such things as the perfect job with 6-fig pay, immediate job offers, and no stress anymore.

 

[Rukn]

No it's not

 

[jokersmiles]

well, over the next 10 years it is projected that 150,000 pharmacists will be competing for 9,000 jobs, do you think pharmacy is a good career choice?

 

[Amicable Angora]

Hi so I applied for Rutgers Pharmacy 6 year program and I got in with a 13k annual scholarship for my first four years + Honors College. I am instate as well and live like 5 minutes away from Rutgers so I'll probably dorm for my first 2 years and then live at home. I'm not sure how much it will cost in total for all 6 years, I think 60k-70k? But, my brother is at RU Pharm and he's telling me it's not a good career choice and that it's become over saturated and he's struggling to find residencies... I'm just worried that if I do pharmacy, I'll struggle to find jobs! Any advice????

I'm really sorry if this comes off as "trollish" or rude, I'm just confused and I need guidance

There's two separate questions here.

"Is pharmacy currently a good career choice?" the answer to that is a resounding NO.

The second:

"Is pharmacy currently a good career choice for me given that I have a full scholarship for the first 4 years and live 5 minutes away?" The answer is yes, because even if you attend and then change your major after you graduate, you will have gotten a good benefit. If you are applying to graduate programs, you will have a Pharm.D degree. Similarly, a pharmacy background for applying for medical school would be helpful as well.