Is pharmacy an ageist field?

[mrfox1]

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hey all,

So, I am doing some research on pharmacy as a career because I am looking to transition my career into the healthcare/medicine realm. However, I am currently 26 years old, so by the time I complete pharmacy school I will be 32-33 years old. Obviously i will be looking for an entry-level pharmacy job at the point and I am aware that I will be a few years older then the normal entry-level professional.

I was wondering, is pharmacy the type of career that will think it is fine for a 32 year-old to apply for entry level work? or will I be considered "too old" to start a pharmacy career?

I know some industries are known for their ageism (software engineering, accounting, any business-type discipline), so I was wondering if pharmacy is like this as well.

Thanks for your replies!

 

[SHC1984]

Depends.

Are you doing pharmacy b/c 1) you think it's easy/quick money and good job security OR 2) you really have a passion in pharmacy (I have yet to find ONE person that truely loves it sorry..)

If you are 1) which 99% of people are....then you are too old to go into it to make any real money out of it. Unless you are able to graduate with NO debt at all then *maybe* (I still think there are better ways to invest in 100K though).

Basically graduating at age 30 or more and owing six figures in student loans is a very stupid idea. The End.

Ask BMBiology if you don't believe me. 🙂

 

[mrfox1]

Depends.

Are you doing pharmacy b/c 1) you think it's easy/quick money and good job security OR 2) you really have a passion in pharmacy (I have yet to find ONE person that truely loves it sorry..)

If you are 1) which 99% of people are....then you are too old to go into it to make any real money out of it. Unless you are able to graduate with NO debt at all then *maybe* (I still think there are better ways to invest in 100K though).

Basically graduating at age 30 or more and owing six figures in student loans is a very stupid idea. The End.

Ask BMBiology if you don't believe me. 🙂

I would say option 1, though I certainly don't think it's 'easy/quick money' - obviously 4 years of intense schooling is not easy or quick, though it does seem like the money is good.

I appreciate your input, though you really didn't answer my question. My question was whether or not employers are going to be ageist against an older person applying for an entry-level job, not whether or not investing 100k in a pharmacy degree is a financially sound decision.

though in reply to your responses, I would say that graduating at any age with 100k+ debt is a bad idea, though sometimes these sacrifices have to be made in order to get what you want. I don't follow why graduating with such debt at age 30 is so much worse then at age 24/25. Perhaps you will be a bit behind your peers in terms of repaying the debt, but not that much soo.

What do you mean by "Make real money out of it?". at the end of the day, graduated at age 32/33 puts me about 5-6 years behind my peers in salary. While this seems like a-lot, over a 30+ year career it really isn't that much at the end of the day. Are you implying that older-beginners are less likely to be in line for promotions and the like? i'm sorry, but you're sentence didn't provide clear reasons why I wouldn't be able to "make real money out of it".

 

[FarscapeGirl]

As someone who's going to just be turning 32 when I graduate, I will have to disagree with SHC1984. I also have a passion for outpatient pharmacy, too (one of the reasons I'm not doing residency, at least for now, although my age plays into that as well).

I originally was in research in biology and switched to pharmacy. I've been in school a long time. But I'm happy I switched to pharmacy, even if it meant three more years in classes. Nor am I the oldest in my class. There are several who are older than I am and are doing fine. I got an internship before I started school, and I think employers tend to like people with skills in having a job.

I think your age and experience give you an advantage in pharmacy school, actually. You know what it's like to not be super young and think yourself invincible. You'll also probably better be able to sift out what's important to learn in your classes.

Be prepared for really young classmates, though. A few students in the current first-year class were wondering if there were cartoons in the 70s... le sigh.

I haven't started paying loans back, but I'd rather make around $100,000 a year with $100,000 in debt (or so, I try not to count) in a job I like than $40,000 as a post-doc in a lab with fewer eventual career options and hating my job. My one piece of advice, though, if you do decide to go this route is to get an internship as soon as possible. It makes some of the stress of school worth it and makes you more likely to get a job in the future.

 

[FarscapeGirl]

I would say option 1, though I certainly don't think it's 'easy/quick money' - obviously 4 years of intense schooling is not easy or quick, though it does seem like the money is good.

I appreciate your input, though you really didn't answer my question. My question was whether or not employers are going to be ageist against an older person applying for an entry-level job, not whether or not investing 100k in a pharmacy degree is a financially sound decision.

though in reply to your responses, I would say that graduating at any age with 100k+ debt is a bad idea, though sometimes these sacrifices have to be made in order to get what you want. I don't follow why graduating with such debt at age 30 is so much worse then at age 24/25. Perhaps you will be a bit behind your peers in terms of repaying the debt, but not that much soo.

What do you mean by "Make real money out of it?". at the end of the day, graduated at age 32/33 puts me about 5-6 years behind my peers in salary. While this seems like a-lot, over a 30+ year career it really isn't that much at the end of the day. Are you implying that older-beginners are less likely to be in line for promotions and the like? i'm sorry, but you're sentence didn't provide clear reasons why I wouldn't be able to "make real money out of it".

Read some of SHC1984's other posts, and you'll begin to understand. ;-)

 

[npage148]

Don't listen to SHC, she's rich and has no concept of paying for things like normal folks.

32 is not too late and not too old and having your loans paid off by 42 (at the latest) is not too bad when making 100k/year in the meantime.

 

[SHC1984]

I would say option 1, though I certainly don't think it's 'easy/quick money' - obviously 4 years of intense schooling is not easy or quick, though it does seem like the money is good.

I appreciate your input, though you really didn't answer my question. My question was whether or not employers are going to be ageist against an older person applying for an entry-level job, not whether or not investing 100k in a pharmacy degree is a financially sound decision.

though in reply to your responses, I would say that graduating at any age with 100k+ debt is a bad idea, though sometimes these sacrifices have to be made in order to get what you want. I don't follow why graduating with such debt at age 30 is so much worse then at age 24/25. Perhaps you will be a bit behind your peers in terms of repaying the debt, but not that much soo.

What do you mean by "Make real money out of it?". at the end of the day, graduated at age 32/33 puts me about 5-6 years behind my peers in salary. While this seems like a-lot, over a 30+ year career it really isn't that much at the end of the day. Are you implying that older-beginners are less likely to be in line for promotions and the like? i'm sorry, but you're sentence didn't provide clear reasons why I wouldn't be able to "make real money out of it".

I can't answer that question FOR SURE since I am in my twenties and never had to worry about age discrimmation but if I had to guess then I would say yes. My family owns a business and we rather hire younger people over the older ones too. It's mean, but I am being honest.

There are people on here that owe 150K to 250K in student loan. Do you think they are making BANK AFTER paying those loans off? Just think about it.

But yes, you are right. I would not recommend pharmacy to anyone unless they are able to graduate with little to no debt.

All I am saying is if you are going into it for the money and lifestyle (which you admit you are) then you will be very disappointed when you owe six figures and most of your paycheck goes into paying it off. That is all that I am saying.

The age thing. I can't say for sure, but my guess is of course. If I have two equal candidiates one is 25yo and one is 45 yo. I would pick the younger one.

 

[SHC1984]

Read some of SHC1984's other posts, and you'll begin to understand. ;-)

Don't listen to SHC, she's rich and has no concept of paying for things like normal folks.

32 is not too late and not too old and having your loans paid off by 42 (at the latest) is not too bad when making 100k/year in the meantime.

LOL...all I am saying is if you are going into pharmacy for the lifestyle and for getting rich then you will be very disappointed. Especially when you owe 3 to 4K a month in student loans. If you still want to think you are rich after that then fine whatever floats your boat. I am just saying.

 

[mrfox1]

I can't answer that question FOR SURE since I am in my twenties and never had to worry about age discrimmation but if I had to guess then I would say yes. My family owns a business and we rather hire younger people over the older ones too. It's mean, but I am being honest.

There are people on here that owe 150K to 250K in student loan. Do you think they are making BANK AFTER paying those loans off? Just think about it.

But yes, you are right. I would not recommend pharmacy to anyone unless they are able to graduate with little to no debt.

All I am saying is if you are going into it for the money and lifestyle (which you admit you are) then you will be very disappointed when you owe six figures and most of your paycheck goes into paying it off. That is all that I am saying.

The age thing. I can't say for sure, but my guess is of course. If I have two equal candidiates one is 25yo and one is 45 yo. I would pick the younger one.

Are loan repayments really so much that "most of your paycheck" goes into paying it off? I have to say, i'm a big ignorant on the subject since I didn't have to do student loans before. Would you mind giving the figures of your loan repayment and monthly earning?

Also, I think it's a bit unfair to compare your hypothetical with my situation. Mine would be a 32 year old competing with a 25 year old candidate. Obviously their is an age difference, but it is much smaller then if I were a 45 year old candidate. Whether or not this makes a difference in the minds of a ageist employer, well I can't say. But their is a definite difference between the 32 year-old and 45 year-old, not just in age, but life stage.

 

[npage148]

LOL...all I am saying is if you are going into pharmacy for the lifestyle and for getting rich then you will be very disappointed. Especially when you owe 3 to 4K a month in student loans. If you still want to think you are rich after that then fine whatever floats your boat. I am just saying.

I don't think anyone said to go into pharmacy to get rich. But a loan payment of 1500/month really isn't that much of a burden when you are grossing 10k/month.

Your idea of a 3-4k monthly loan payment shows how disconnected you are. That would be like 300k+ in student loans.

 

[Momus]

My question was whether or not employers are going to be ageist against an older person applying for an entry-level job, not whether or not investing 100k in a pharmacy degree is a financially sound decision.

No. It's not like it's a techies land where they seek a young person's creativity/drive/passion/brain, a go-getter type personality. e.g., Someone who does not mind working 80h/week coding to produce the next Facebook.

Pharmacy is monotone in pretty much all settings. Employers are not looking someone who can move the moon. You do the same thing, over and over again, just different tweak here and there. I don't think they really care about your age as long as you are able to do your job.

 

[SHC1984]

Are loan repayments really so much that "most of your paycheck" goes into paying it off? I have to say, i'm a big ignorant on the subject since I didn't have to do student loans before. Would you mind giving the figures of your loan repayment and monthly earning?

Also, I think it's a bit unfair to compare your hypothetical with my situation. Mine would be a 32 year old competing with a 25 year old candidate. Obviously their is an age difference, but it is much smaller then if I were a 45 year old candidate. Whether or not this makes a difference in the minds of a ageist employer, well I can't say. But their is a definite difference between the 32 year-old and 45 year-old, not just in age, but life stage.

For me I owe about 87K when I graduate. I'll round up to 90K. Using the loans http://www2.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DirectLoan/RepayCalc/dlentry1.html
My montly payment will be $1035.72 a month.

Pharmacist make around 110K a year. AFTER taxes and maxing out your 401K and ROTH IRA. It's going to be around 60K to 70K. That's about $5000 to $5833.33 a month.

So I will have around 4K a month to live on. That's a decent lifestyle. Def NOT rich by any means.

HOWEVER, if you owe say 150K your montly payment will be $1726.20 or worst 250K (some people do owe that) then your payment will be $2877.01 a month.

$5500-$2877.01=$2623

$2623 a month is a average lifestyle. The cooks at my family's restaurant makes more than that a month.

 

[npage148]

Are loan repayments really so much that "most of your paycheck" goes into paying it off? I have to say, i'm a big ignorant on the subject since I didn't have to do student loans before. Would you mind giving the figures of your loan repayment and monthly earning?

Also, I think it's a bit unfair to compare your hypothetical with my situation. Mine would be a 32 year old competing with a 25 year old candidate. Obviously their is an age difference, but it is much smaller then if I were a 45 year old candidate. Whether or not this makes a difference in the minds of a ageist employer, well I can't say. But their is a definite difference between the 32 year-old and 45 year-old, not just in age, but life stage.

I have about 100k (85k in fed and 15k private) in loans and my monthly payment is right around 1000/month. I also make 57/hour so it's not that much of a burden. 32 vs 25 isn't that big of a deal. I'd say if you were graduating at 50 you'd have issues because that's old. But 32 is not much older than some one going the 4+4 route.

 

[SHC1984]

I don't think anyone said to go into pharmacy to get rich. But a loan payment of 1500/month really isn't that much of a burden when you are grossing 10k/month.

Your idea of a 3-4k monthly loan payment shows how disconnected you are. That would be like 300k+ in student loans.

10K? You have to look at what you get to keep in your pocket AFTER taxes, 401K, and other bills etc.

 

[npage148]

So roughly I make 46/hour after tax. so 90/year. 3% 401k match is 3k and IRA is 5.5k so 8.5k. Add in medical premium which is roughly 300/month is 3.6k a year. That's about another 12k so I make 78 a year or 6.5 a month. My housing is 900/month and my student loans are 1000. so I have 4.5 a month to live on, my lifestyle is easily supported by that. Add in my wife's 50k job and we are very ok because our life goals are not to claw our way up the status ladder

 

[SHC1984]

So roughly I make 46/hour after tax. so 90/year. 3% 401k match is 3k and IRA is 5.5k so 8.5k. Add in medical premium which is roughly 300/month is 3.6k a year. That's about another 12k so I make 78 a year or 6.5 a month. My housing is 900/month and my student loans are 1000. so I have 4.5 a month to live on, my lifestyle is easily supported by that. Add in my wife's 50k job and we are very ok because our life goals are not to claw our way up the status ladder

Why aren't you maxing out your 401K? Read many books that said you must if you want to live well when you retire. LOL...

I agree with what you are saying. I will owe 90K. You owe 100K. Our monthly payment is 1000 a month. That's okay.

If you have to borrow more than 100K I would not do it. I think we both can agree on that. That was my point too. If you owe little debt then fine...but I would not borrow 150K or 250K for a PharmD. I think we both can agree with that. 🙂

 

[FarscapeGirl]

LOL...all I am saying is if you are going into pharmacy for the lifestyle and for getting rich then you will be very disappointed. Especially when you owe 3 to 4K a month in student loans. If you still want to think you are rich after that then fine whatever floats your boat. I am just saying.

Okay, I do agree with SHC here. Don't go into pharmacy for the money. It's a huge amount of work. I did a PhD in molecular biology, and it was more relaxing than pharmacy school (except for the fact I didn't like research). And while my husband and I are looking forward to not living like students in the next half-year or so, that depends on me finding a full-time job. Buying a house will probably be many years into the future still, and that's not counting other money pits that will still be a concern, full-time pharmacy job or not.

What do you do now? Why do you want to leave? Do you have all the pre-reqs done? That can take two years if you've been out of school long enough (usually graduating 3 years or more ago).

 

[npage148]

Why aren't you maxing out your 401K? Read many books that said you must if you want to live well when you retire. LOL...

I will once the loans are gone, now I'm just taking the match. My in-laws are my retirement plan!

 

[SHC1984]

Okay, I do agree with SHC here. Don't go into pharmacy for the money.

My orthodontist makes 600K a year. Braces are 6K to 7K a person. He doesn't take insurance either.

Go into that for money.

God, maybe I should attend dental school AGAIN? 😳

 

[SHC1984]

I will once the loans are gone, now I'm just taking the match. My in-laws are my retirement plan!

I am jealous now!

 

[owlegrad]

I really don't think the age thing will matter to employers. It could even help, assuming you have a background in something with transferable skills.

 

[awval999]

It's only ageist when you are in your 50's and you're one of the "dinosaurs" in pharmacy.

I will tell you once you hit 50 you are unlikely to be able to ever move to a new job (but it's not just pharmacy that's like that) and the rest of the staff will secretly wish that you would retire.

 

[awval999]

And oh--- SHC is right. She normally always is.
Every pharmacist needs to be maxing out the 401k ($17,500/year). Maxing out the Roth IRA in addition is even better, but the 401k should be the minimum. One of the biggest benefits of pharmacy is the salary so early in the career, and a maxed 401k properly saved and invested will experence mucho compound interest due to the many years before retirement.

 

[SHC1984]

And oh--- SHC is right. She normally always is.
Every pharmacist needs to be maxing out the 401k ($17,500/year). Maxing out the Roth IRA in addition is even better, but the 401k should be the minimum. One of the biggest benefits of pharmacy is the salary so early in the career, and a maxed 401k properly saved and invested will experence mucho compound interest due to the many years before retirement.

😍

Are you doing the Roth 401K or the regular 401K? Now, I am NOT sure which one is better to max out.

 

[pezdispenser]

Being 32 y/o versus a 25 y/o is not a problem at all. In fact, you may even have an advantage by being more mature.

However, one issue I do see which depends on your personal situation, is whether you are prepared to give up your job, the money you earn, and whatever standard of living it supports, and basically go back to "living like a student" for the next 6 years. Sure, it is possible to get student loans to cover the same standard of living that you are used to. You could even get student loans for living expenses that are MORE than your prior take home pay. But I would highly discourage this because it is BORROWED money and you pay a lot of INTEREST on it (6.8%+).

This particularly applies if you have a spouse or children and you are the main breadwinner. I don't think it's a good idea to quit your job and just get student loans to support your whole family. You will end up with $250k+ in loans, which will be quite onerous on a pharmacist's salary. The interest alone will be $17k+/year. Then you will have to make cuts in other things like child expenses or your own retirement plan.

 

[awval999]

😍

Are you doing the Roth 401K or the regular 401K? Now, I am NOT sure which one is better to max out.

Regular 401k is much better for our tax bracket.

The argument is that you fill it up with money at the highest tax bracket (saving 28% in taxes) and when you withdraw it you can fill up all your tax brackets.

Example: Saving $17,500 at 28% tax savings. When I withdraw it in retirement, I will first pay the 10% bracket, then 15%, then 25%, and then finally the 28%. So it's almost always better to do the traditional 401k.

 

[SHC1984]

It's only ageist when you are in your 40's and you're one of the "dinosaurs" in pharmacy.

I will tell you once you hit 40 you are unlikely to be able to ever move to a new job (but it's not just pharmacy that's like that) and the rest of the staff will secretly wish that you would retire.

The younger you are the more the advantage. Hence why we are all jealous of people that became pharmacist at 21 or 22yo.

 

[owlegrad]

The younger you are the more the advantage. Hence why we are all jealous of people that became pharmacist at 21 or 22yo.

By starting college at 16? 😕

 

[SHC1984]

Regular 401k is much better for our tax bracket.

The argument is that you fill it up with money at the highest tax bracket (saving 28% in taxes) and when you withdraw it you can fill up all your tax brackets.

Example: Saving $17,500 at 28% tax savings. When I withdraw it in retirement, I will first pay the 10% bracket, then 15%, then 25%, and then finally the 28%. So it's almost always better to do the traditional 401k.

Thanks! I'll most likely do that. 🙂

By starting college at 16? 😕

UoP has a 2+3 program.

You can also get enough college credits during high school and only have to get 1 year of pre-pharm classes and then go into pharmacy school too. My ex did that.

 

[xiphoid2010]

Regular 401k is much better for our tax bracket.

The argument is that you fill it up with money at the highest tax bracket (saving 28% in taxes) and when you withdraw it you can fill up all your tax brackets.

Example: Saving $17,500 at 28% tax savings. When I withdraw it in retirement, I will first pay the 10% bracket, then 15%, then 25%, and then finally the 28%. So it's almost always better to do the traditional 401k.

True. However, we are making several assumptions about the future.

(1) future tax rate will be the same or lower. Most people are predicting that tax rate has to go higher. 30 years ago, tax rate topped out at 50%, making the recent increase to 39.6% look good.

(2) will withdraw less money during retirement than current income. Maybe, but things like oversea vacations, paying for a few weddings, big medical bills, ect might throw things off.

Also maxing out $17.5K/yr into a Roth 401k using after tax dollar is going to allow you to retire quite a bit earlier than maxing out traditional 401k.

A tax diversified strategy may be the safest bet.

 

[Guitarmacy]

The younger you are the more the advantage. Hence why we are all jealous of people that became pharmacist at 21 or 22yo.

I'd be willing to bet that there are zero 21 year old pharmacists and maybe one 22 year old RPh lol. I could be wrong, but I highly doubt any 2+_ program would admit a 16-17 year old.

 

[awval999]

True. However, we are making several assumptions about the future.

(1) future tax rate will be the same or lower. Most people are predicting that tax rate has to go higher. 30 years ago, tax rate topped out at 50%, making the recent increase to 39.6% look good.

(2) will withdraw less money during retirement than current income. Maybe, but things like oversea vacations, paying for a few weddings, big medical bills, ect might throw things off.

Also maxing out $17.5K/yr into a Roth 401k using after tax dollar is going to allow you to retire quite a bit earlier than maxing out traditional 401k.

A tax diversified strategy may be the safest bet.

We must agree to disagree.

Roth accounts have there own possible pitfalls.

The earnings are only tax free--- today. One day there could be excise taxes on "excessive Roth withdrawls". We could replace an income tax with a VAT tax.

I agree that diversified is best. Maxing a traditional 401k and then a Roth IRA (via the backdoor if necessary) is probably the best bet. That gives one $23,000/year in current tax-sheltered savings. More than enough after 35 years of growth.

 

[Digsbe]

I don't think you are too old 26 isn't old at all for pharmacy school in my opinion, we have some students in my program that are in their late 30's and 40's. It's not unheard of for people to have a career change to pharmacy, medicine, dentistry, or other fields requiring 4+ years of education as nontraditional students. Financially you will have to weigh things. I wouldn't start a career that will put you into debt that you'll wind up paying on into retirement, but if not I would go for it.

 

[BMBiology]

hey all,

So, I am doing some research on pharmacy as a career because I am looking to transition my career into the healthcare/medicine realm. However, I am currently 26 years old, so by the time I complete pharmacy school I will be 32-33 years old. Obviously i will be looking for an entry-level pharmacy job at the point and I am aware that I will be a few years older then the normal entry-level professional.

I was wondering, is pharmacy the type of career that will think it is fine for a 32 year-old to apply for entry level work? or will I be considered "too old" to start a pharmacy career?

I know some industries are known for their ageism (software engineering, accounting, any business-type discipline), so I was wondering if pharmacy is like this as well.

Thanks for your replies!

There's not much ageism in pharmacy. But, there are several factors you should consider:

(1) High tuition: expect to owe 200-300 k + 6.8% interest when you graduate unless you attend a state school
(2) The job market has already saturated. Salary and benefits have been cut for new pharmacists.
(3) New pharmacy schools, especially for-profit schools, will further saturate the market. Just check out the ACPE's website.

You will have a harder time landing a full-time position and you will work for less pay and benefits. That's why I don't think it is a financially smart decision to start pharmacy at your age but it also depends on your current situation. In addition, what if you have kids when you graduate? They may limit your ability to move to a location where there are jobs.

There's not much job growth in pharmacy. 90% of the pharmacists make within +/- 10%. Further, many people hate retails with a passion. Imagine doing something you hate for 20-30 years because you have no other way to pay back your student loans. Like others have said, a pharmacist salary is not much after taxes (expect to earn even less when you graduate).

Lastly, pharmacy is NOT easy like some people think. It can be a very stressful and emotionally and physically draining job. Have you ever had to stand for 12 hours a day? Dealing with customers is the worse. Co-pay is too high? prior authorization is required? doctor sent their prescriptions to a wrong pharmacy? It doesn't matter. It is the pharmacy's fault and you will get it. Not easy.

 

[SoylentGreen]

I was 35 when I graduated, and I don't see a problem. Pharmacy may be ageist but you have to be a lot older than that for it to kick in. The oldsters may not be able to handle the volume of a busy retail pharmacy, but I've worked with pharmacists in their 60s who are still up to it. By that age, is there any field that isn't ageist?

The worst thing about being an older new pharmacist is that you have the same debt as the 25 year olds, but you don't have as much time to pay it. If I bust my ass and pay my debt off in 5 years starting from when I graduated, I will be in the same position as a 25 year old who took a leisurely 15 years - 40ish years old with a net worth of roughly zero.

Having said that, I still wouldn't recommend going to pharmacy school today because of oversaturation, regardless of your age.

 

[Ackj]

I'd be willing to bet that there are zero 21 year old pharmacists and maybe one 22 year old RPh lol. I could be wrong, but I highly doubt any 2+_ program would admit a 16-17 year old.

I know a few people who will become 22 y/o RPh this summer. College starts at 17, 2 years undergrad, 3 yr accelerated program. I'll be 23 when I graduate since I did 2+4.




The main issue with going back to school and accruing heavy debt when you're a bit older is that you're going to have to put other things on hold, such as a family, house, etc. Hard to save up for a down payment when you're forking over lots of money toward your loans. Same goes for the expenses of raising a child. We'll probably have a kid at 30, so most of my debt should be gone by then.

 

[BMBiology]

The main issue with going back to school and accruing heavy debt when you're a bit older is that you're going to have to put other things on hold, such as a family, house, etc. Hard to save up for a down payment when you're forking over lots of money toward your loans. Same goes for the expenses of raising a child. We'll probably have a kid at 30, so most of my debt should be gone by then.

This is so true. You will run into other important things like marriage, starting a family, buying a house when you graduate with student loan debt.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

I was 35 when I graduated, and I don't see a problem. Pharmacy may be ageist but you have to be a lot older than that for it to kick in. The oldsters may not be able to handle the volume of a busy retail pharmacy, but I've worked with pharmacists in their 60s who are still up to it. By that age, is there any field that isn't ageist?

The worst thing about being an older new pharmacist is that you have the same debt as the 25 year olds, but you don't have as much time to pay it. If I bust my ass and pay my debt off in 5 years starting from when I graduated, I will be in the same position as a 25 year old who took a leisurely 15 years - 40ish years old with a net worth of roughly zero.

Having said that, I still wouldn't recommend going to pharmacy school today because of oversaturation, regardless of your age.

The most badass retail pharmacists I know are mostly older. I know a guy who is in his sixties who works the 7 on/7 off overnight at CVS and works at the VA on his off weeks.

 

[Transformer]

hey all,

So, I am doing some research on pharmacy as a career because I am looking to transition my career into the healthcare/medicine realm. However, I am currently 26 years old, so by the time I complete pharmacy school I will be 32-33 years old. Obviously i will be looking for an entry-level pharmacy job at the point and I am aware that I will be a few years older then the normal entry-level professional.

I was wondering, is pharmacy the type of career that will think it is fine for a 32 year-old to apply for entry level work? or will I be considered "too old" to start a pharmacy career?

I know some industries are known for their ageism (software engineering, accounting, any business-type discipline), so I was wondering if pharmacy is like this as well.

Thanks for your replies!

A healthy 32 year-old would not be considered too old for entry-level pharmacist jobs.

Several of my classmates will be graduating in their late twenties & early thirties and none of them said or believes "being too old" was a reason for being turned away from a pharmacist job.

As someone had mentioned in this thread: having another career before pharmacy, and lots of life experience may actually help you land a good pharmacist job.

Good Luck with your decision mrfox

 

[dxb8307]

Age is not a big deal at all. Owing big bucks for the tuition doesn't escape anyone (except those whose parents are loaded) so that's isn't a reason to dismiss pharmacy as a career choice.

 

[joetrisman]

The most badass retail pharmacists I know are mostly older. I know a guy who is in his sixties who works the 7 on/7 off overnight at CVS and works at the VA on his off weeks.

QFT.

I forget the whole story, but IIRC, sometime last year while he was working at CVS he was being robbed and tackled the guy to the ground. He got the nickname Rambo *****(insert real name) at the VA after that. I honestly couldn't see him physically (or even considering how nice he is) trying to tackle someone but thats what everyone said happened.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

QFT.

I forget the whole story, but IIRC, sometime last year while he was working at CVS he was being robbed and tackled the guy to the ground. He got the nickname Rambo *****(insert real name) at the VA after that. I honestly couldn't see him physically (or even considering how nice he is) trying to tackle someone but thats what everyone said happened.

Oh my gosh, really?! I hadn't heard that. I love him. I always called him *****ie, and all of the other RPHs always teased him about it. He's so nice, one of my absolute favorite pharmacists, ever.

 

[jawnly211]

its NEVER too late.....go for it

i also did a career switch from electrical engineering......began pharm school at 28 and graduated at 32

if anything, my preceptors liked the fact i was "more mature" than my "peers" and also was interested in my background so i guess it helped some

as for "dictating" on how much to put in your retirement.......there are obviously many people chiming in without family and kids......and at your age, you will need to handle your money and debt differently than others in your class graduating......

everyone's different.......there's no ONE masterplan.......or else we would all be rich

 

[mrfox1]

wow, thanks for all of your responses, I really didn't expect so many replies. Just to tell a bit more about myself, I have bounced around a few jobs since I graduated with my B.A. (3.5 GPA) and I am looking at developing a career in healthcare. However, I am not a very "hands-on" type person, which is why I am considering Pharmacy ahead of other things such as nursing, physical therapy etc.

One advantage I would have in this situation is that I still live a student-esque lifestyle because my jobs so far haven't paid much. So going back to school would not result in me downgrading my lifestyle. Also, I am currently single, so I would assume that if I were to have children, marriage etc. it would take 4 years or so anyway, even if I were to begin a relationship tomorrow. These things don't just happen overnight (to most people anyway!)

As for the loans, well I have some savings that would cover a significant, but not majority, of the tuition fees. So even though I would have to take out loans, they would be in the 50-75k range, not 100k+ like some here have mentioned (I intend to apply only to schools in my state, as I don't want to pay double the cost for the same quality education just because it's in an exotic location).

I have about 1/2 the prereqs done. I could finish the rest in 2 semesters + a summer.

Regarding the over saturation, how bad is it? for example, a good friend of mine just graduated from a solid-but-not-spectacular law school in the top 1/3 of his class and he is really struggling to find a job. Is pharmacy saturated in this respect? or is it more because their are tons of for-profit and lower-ranking schools that are clogging up the market place?

I suppose my real question is if I go to a solid (say, among the top 1/3 of all programs in the country) school and do well, do I have a good chance of finding a job? or is it so over-saturated that I would have difficulty even with these credentials?

 

[SHC1984]

1) graduating with 75K is reasonably.
2) Are you OKAY with relocating? Are you OKAY with living in a rural ****ty area? The saturation is very bad in major cities. I grew up in major cities my entire life....I might have to move to a rural crappy area and I hate it. I had to do my summer internship in Rome, GA!!!!! 🙁 That is the most rural/crappy area I have ever been in in my entire life! If you hate rural areas I would NOT do pharmacy. All the nice cities are saturated and you won't find a job there.
3) Why are you in pharmacy? We all love the cushy hospital jobs or work at home mail order jobs etc. but those are HARD as hell to land. Trust me I would know I am applying for jobs now. I only got RETAIL offers so far. No work at home mail order. 🙁 If you are going into pharmacy b/c you think you can easily get the cushiest job out there then you will be disappointed....you will MOST LIKELY get an offer with CVS or Walgreens working your ass off. If you are in it for the cushy easy jobs only...then you will be very disappointed.
4) Do you have other options? If you have other options weight those in too. Sometimes other options are much better than pharmacy.

If you don't mind moving to a RURAL/CRAPPY area and you don't mind retail pharmacy with CVS or Walgreens and you will only graduate with 75K in loans...then sure do it.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[SHC1984]

One more thing I forgot to mention.

5) make sure you attend an acceptable/respectable school that has been around for at least 100+ years.

There are PLENTY of schools out now which is the reasons why there is a huge saturation of pharmacist. They opened like 3 years ago, curriculum is crappy as hell, cost 40K+ a year and graduates/accepts anyone with a pulse. Please do yourself a favor and DO NOT even apply to those schools.

Get into your respectable state school that has been around for hundreds of years please. If you can't get into those schools then I would NOT attend at all.

It's like I tell my little sister in Law school. If you can't get into a great school, it's better to go without.

Good luck!

 

[SoylentGreen]

Regarding the over saturation, how bad is it? for example, a good friend of mine just graduated from a solid-but-not-spectacular law school in the top 1/3 of his class and he is really struggling to find a job. Is pharmacy saturated in this respect? or is it more because their are tons of for-profit and lower-ranking schools that are clogging up the market place?

I suppose my real question is if I go to a solid (say, among the top 1/3 of all programs in the country) school and do well, do I have a good chance of finding a job? or is it so over-saturated that I would have difficulty even with these credentials?

I applied to pharmacy school after I heard in 2006 that a local mail-order pharmacy was headhunting pharmacists for $65/hour. When I graduated in 2011 the area was saturated and I didn't even get an interview at the same pharmacy even though I had worked there as a tech and got top evaluations. I ended up working in a location which is undesirable to most people (southern New Mexico). Since then, even this area has become saturated - all the stores in my district in my company are fully staffed. Don't think you will automatically be hired just because you're willing to move to an area like this. If you want to use a rural area as a stepping stone so you can transfer to the place you really want to be, you better have a convincing story about why you really want to live in BFE because if the company sees through it, they won't hire you.

With all the new pharmacy schools that have opened up and will open up, you figure out whether it will get better or worse. Even if you do get a job, the other guy who didn't will be ready to take your job for less money than you expect to make, and this will be used as a club to lower your pay.

Don't think going to a "good" pharmacy school is going to help you. Maybe if you want to be a clinical pharmacist, and you are good enough to make top grades and otherwise have a stellar record in pharm school (if you are that good, you could go to med school and be certain of getting a job when you get out), but retail could care less. I have no reason to believe they cared where I went, and they never even asked to see my transcripts or asked what my grades were.

When I started pharmacy school I thought the aging population would mean steady growth in demand for pharmacists, but this isn't really happening because patients are being pushed to mail order, and one pharmacist in mail order can fill a lot more prescriptions than one pharmacist in retail.

 

[BMBiology]

^^ insightful. I would like to add that when the housing market crashed so did retail pharmacy. During the boom years, retail was growing rapidly in places that never had a pharmacy. Now that is long gone. All the major retails significantly reduced their expansion plan.

 

[awval999]

^^ insightful. I would like to add that when the housing market crashed so did retail pharmacy. During the boom years, retail was growing rapidly in places that never had a pharmacy. Now that is long gone. All the major retails significantly reduced their expansion plan.

That retail/housing growth was the single most important part of the growth of pharmacist salaries (low supply, increasing demand, increasing salaries). And now we are in the process of increasing supply via new pharmacy schools.

Increasing supply over and above the demand will lead to falling salaries--- or at least salaries not keeping up with inflation.

 

[SHC1984]

^^ are all good points. OP, you could end up making 60K a year or something crappy like that. 🙁

God, let's pray my offer doesn't go down after a few years.