Pharmacy drop out

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
S

studentpharmmmd

New Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2019
Messages
1
Reaction score
1
Points
801
  1. Pharmacy Student
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Has anyone dropped out of pharmacy school and switched to something else? I am thinking of doing this, so I figure there have to be some people who have done this due to the current pharmacy outlook. Just looking for some stories.

Thanks!
 
would have switched to optometry if I could go back, prereqs are virtually the same as Pharm and job outlook and job satisfaction are much better
 
I wouldnt want to do optometry. so boring
 
I have advised students who have dropped out. Their post-dropout lives have run the gamut, but the circumstances are too individual to give good advice besides, "if you don't want to be a pharmacist, why are you here? Could you be doing something more productive?"
 
I'm in the process. I'm on a LOA without any intention on returning. As a rising P3, its ridiculously scary and I still need to build up a lot of confidence. Taking a LOA was a huge step for me. My debt isn't too soul crushing, I also have an undergrad degree. I'm looking into other occupations and going back to school right now. I keep telling myself its better to cut my losses now than to lose essentially the rest of my life to the profession. I had to put a lot of effort into thinking logically rather than emotionally. Emotionally thinking about the past only produces regret and keeps you bound to a sucky situation, potentially making it worse. I spent majority of my time over the summer really asking myself deeper questions, weighing out pros and cons, constantly looking at leaving and staying objectively, reading countless stories about those who have dropped out, asking myself if this was what I really wanted. And finally, I gave myself the permission to do something "crazy" and "risky".
 
owlegrad said:
Pffff who wants to count by 2s when you can count by 5s?
Click to expand...

I counted weird... I never counted by 5s at all. I actually counted by ones. I thought my counting system was genius and I’m surprised I was the only o e that I ever knew that did it.

It went like this - if it was a 30 count I would count groups of 5 but I would count to 6. If it was a 60 count I would count to 12, a 90 count and up I would use the pill counter.
 
Mcpickle said:
I'm in the process. I'm on a LOA without any intention on returning. As a rising P3, its ridiculously scary and I still need to build up a lot of confidence. Taking a LOA was a huge step for me. My debt isn't too soul crushing, I also have an undergrad degree. I'm looking into other occupations and going back to school right now. I keep telling myself its better to cut my losses now than to lose essentially the rest of my life to the profession. I had to put a lot of effort into thinking logically rather than emotionally. Emotionally thinking about the past only produces regret and keeps you bound to a sucky situation, potentially making it worse. I spent majority of my time over the summer really asking myself deeper questions, weighing out pros and cons, constantly looking at leaving and staying objectively, reading countless stories about those who have dropped out, asking myself if this was what I really wanted. And finally, I gave myself the permission to do something "crazy" and "risky".
Click to expand...

I dunno.. your opportunity costs are a bit unbalanced. You have committed 6 years to something with only 2 more to go.. you have already committed your life to something and I would highly recommend to finish if only to have the option available to work as a pharmacist is you ever wanted to.

Good thing you gave yourself permission to be crazy... because you defiantly slam dunked it.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
JustFillIt said:
I dunno.. your opportunity costs are a bit unbalanced. You have committed 6 years to something with only 2 more to go.. you have already committed your life to something and I would highly recommend to finish if only to have the option available to work as a pharmacist is you ever wanted to.

Good thing you gave yourself permission to be crazy... because you defiantly slam dunked it.
Click to expand...
I did my P1 the same year I did my senior year. So technically, I did 5 years total and could be looked at as dropping out after “P1” if looking at tuition and time, that’s beside the point though. People here are just miserable and like to complain. Lol. 1 or 2 years down the drain isn’t that bad compared to the apparent **** show and the impending bigger **** show to come that everyone keeps talking about for the next 30 years.

Committing to something till the age 23 isn’t committing my life to it. Wtf. Yeah I dated a guy for 4 years. Didn’t work out. So we broke up and moved on. But I should have still committed to him right? I chose at the age of 19 to date him so... according to you I have no other options and need to commit to him for the next 40 years. Your world view must be super narrow. I still have tons of time and time means options.
Have you heard of sunk cost fallacy?
 
Last edited:
JustFillIt said:
I dunno.. your opportunity costs are a bit unbalanced. You have committed 6 years to something with only 2 more to go.. you have already committed your life to something and I would highly recommend to finish if only to have the option available to work as a pharmacist is you ever wanted to.

Good thing you gave yourself permission to be crazy... because you defiantly slam dunked it.
Click to expand...
Spending 6 years on something you dislike isn’t a good reason to spend the next 40 years doing that thing.
 
Mcpickle said:
I did my P1 the same year I did my senior year. So technically, I did 5 years total and could be looked at as dropping out after “P1” if looking at tuition and time. People here are just miserable and like to complain. Lol. 1 or 2 years down the drain isn’t that bad compared to the apparent **** show and the impending bigger **** show to come that everyone keeps talking about for the next 30 years.

Committing to something till the age 23 isn’t committing my life to it. Wtf. Yeah I dated a guy for 4 years. Didn’t work out. So we broke up and moved on. But I should have still committed to him right? I chose at the age of 19 to date him so... according to you I have no other options and need to commit to him for the next 40 years. Your world view must be super narrow. I still have tons of time and time means options.
Have you heard of sunk cost fallacy?
Click to expand...
You’re right. They’re wrong.
 
JustFillIt said:
I counted weird... I never counted by 5s at all. I actually counted by ones. I thought my counting system was genius and I’m surprised I was the only o e that I ever knew that did it.

It went like this - if it was a 30 count I would count groups of 5 but I would count to 6. If it was a 60 count I would count to 12, a 90 count and up I would use the pill counter.
Click to expand...

That's counting by 5s dude.
 
zelman said:
Spending 6 years on something you dislike isn’t a good reason to spend the next 40 years doing that thing.
Click to expand...

I didn’t say to spend the rest of your life doing it. I said to finish it if only to have the option available.

It’s like buying a full rack of ribs to eat only 2 ribs from the rack. You should at least put the rest of the rack of ribs in the fridge so you can eat it later if you want to. A lot changes over time and having the option available is a good thing.

(I grilled some ribs yesterday. Hence the ribs analogy.)
 
Last edited:
Mcpickle said:
I did my P1 the same year I did my senior year. So technically, I did 5 years total and could be looked at as dropping out after “P1” if looking at tuition and time, that’s beside the point though. People here are just miserable and like to complain. Lol. 1 or 2 years down the drain isn’t that bad compared to the apparent **** show and the impending bigger **** show to come that everyone keeps talking about for the next 30 years.

Committing to something till the age 23 isn’t committing my life to it. Wtf. Yeah I dated a guy for 4 years. Didn’t work out. So we broke up and moved on. But I should have still committed to him right? I chose at the age of 19 to date him so... according to you I have no other options and need to commit to him for the next 40 years. Your world view must be super narrow. I still have tons of time and time means options.
Have you heard of sunk cost fallacy?
Click to expand...

I really don’t have the energy or motivation to debate with the younger generation. Your whole generation has created a system of complex rationalization of choice and diversion from accountability that makes making terrible choices appear logical.

Just no... finish what you started at this point. That’s all I gotta say
 
JustFillIt said:
I really don’t have the energy or motivation to debate with the younger generation. Your whole generation has created a system of complex rationalization of choice and diversion from accountability that makes making terrible choices appear logical.

Just no... finish what you started at this point. That’s all I gotta say
Click to expand...

On the same token, boomer logic is a thing too.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Mcpickle said:
I did my P1 the same year I did my senior year. So technically, I did 5 years total and could be looked at as dropping out after “P1” if looking at tuition and time, that’s beside the point though. People here are just miserable and like to complain. Lol. 1 or 2 years down the drain isn’t that bad compared to the apparent **** show and the impending bigger **** show to come that everyone keeps talking about for the next 30 years.

Committing to something till the age 23 isn’t committing my life to it. Wtf. Yeah I dated a guy for 4 years. Didn’t work out. So we broke up and moved on. But I should have still committed to him right? I chose at the age of 19 to date him so... according to you I have no other options and need to commit to him for the next 40 years. Your world view must be super narrow. I still have tons of time and time means options.
Have you heard of sunk cost fallacy?
Click to expand...

I'd stick it out. You will be making 90k in 2 years. Do you have any realistic career opportunities that can do that for you?
 
JustFillIt said:
I didn’t say to spend the rest of your life doing it. I said to finish it if only to have the option available.

It’s like buying a full rack of ribs to eat only 2 ribs from the rack. You should at least put the rest of the rack of ribs in the fridge so you can eat it later if you want to. A lot changes over time and having the option available is a good thing.

(I grilled some ribs yesterday. Hence the ribs analogy.)
Click to expand...
You’d pay $80,000 for a to-go container?
 
Dave1980 said:
OP will probably be handing out to-go containers if they drop out of pharmacy school without a solid backup plan.
Click to expand...

With the lack of jobs in pharmacy they may very well still be handing out to go containers after they graduate with $200k+ in loans.
 
zelman said:
You’d pay $80,000 for a to-go container?
Click to expand...

It depends on how much I paid for the meal itself, and the benefits that may or may not be in the container. By that rationale - I would apply 80,000 dollars for every 2 years... This rationale would imply that I paid 240,000 dollars for the meal itself.

I guess - yes... I would pay 80,000 dollars for a to go box of a meal that I paid 240,000 dollars for.. Especially if taking the to go box was the difference between a high paying job opportunity or literally nothing except entry level positions...

Careful about the rationales that we create to justify the decisions we make.. in this case we clearly see how exaggeration has created a scenario that could support poor judgement.
 
Last edited:
Dave1980 said:
OP will probably be handing out to-go containers if they drop out of pharmacy school without a solid backup plan.
Click to expand...
I don’t really understand this mindset. Surely everyone who doesn’t have a pharmD is working minimum wage according to you, correct?
 
JustFillIt said:
I really don’t have the energy or motivation to debate with the younger generation. Your whole generation has created a system of complex rationalization of choice and diversion from accountability that makes making terrible choices appear logical.

Just no... finish what you started at this point. That’s all I gotta say
Click to expand...
Yeah good argument. Too old. Nice. I have one year down the drain and this guy is telling me to finish up. Please. For absolutely no reason other than to “finish what I started” because I’m on “millennial logic”. Lololol. Again, not a good reason to invest another 100k and spend the next 15 years doing it to pay it off or try to make a career change in between.

But go off.
JustFillIt said:
I didn’t say to spend the rest of your life doing it. I said to finish it if only to have the option available.

It’s like buying a full rack of ribs to eat only 2 ribs from the rack. You should at least put the rest of the rack of ribs in the fridge so you can eat it later if you want to. A lot changes over time and having the option available is a good thing.

(I grilled some ribs yesterday. Hence the ribs analogy.)
Click to expand...
So everyone should go get pharmDs to have an option available? Lol. Wow don’t do it forever? The luxury must be nice for you not to pay all this money for a degree and still do something else.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
JustFillIt said:
I’m a millennial too... just saying..

Your drivel reeks of immaturity
Click to expand...
Thinking conservatively and giving it an illusion of “responsibility” doesn’t equate to maturity either.
 
Mcpickle said:
Thinking conservatively and giving it an illusion of “responsibility” doesn’t equate to maturity either.
Click to expand...

Sure.. it’s cool - like you said, “you gave yourself permission to do something crazy”.. I understand.

Just curious though - why are you on a pharmacy forum intended for pharmacists?
 
JustFillIt said:
Sure.. it’s cool - like you said, “you gave yourself permission to do something crazy”.. I understand.

Just curious though - why are you on a pharmacy forum intended for pharmacists?
Click to expand...
Yeah, it’s always feels a little crazy and uncertain when you make a life changing decision. Doesn’t make it not logical. Again, that’s why sunk cost fallacy is a term, otherwise, it would just be common sense.

Are you getting territorial now? I’m still a pharmacy student? Lol.

Also I like further justifying my decision by seeing the current state of the market and the trends happening coming from actual pharmacists.
 
Mcpickle said:
Yeah, it’s always feels a little crazy and uncertain when you make a life changing decision. Doesn’t make it not logical. Again, that’s why sunk cost fallacy is a term, otherwise, it would just be common sense.

Are you getting territorial now? I’m still a pharmacy student? Lol.

Also I like further justifying my decision by seeing the current state of the market and the trends happening coming from actual pharmacists.
Click to expand...

Gotcha - well from my point of view pharmacy is all gravy... couldn’t be happier. That’s the truth and I don’t expect it to change.
 
JustFillIt said:
Gotcha - well from my point of view pharmacy is all gravy... couldn’t be happier. That’s the truth and I don’t expect it to change.
Click to expand...
Gotcha, from my view point, pharmacy is not all gravy and I expect it to change quite a bit. Maybe not drastically within the time I would graduate but I do expect it to change a lot within the next decade going by data, past trends, nationwide pharmacy shut downs, pay cuts, firing older higher paid pharmacists, saturation (my view is that the damage as been done, maybe the market will level out in 20-30 years if the number of graduating pharmacists drops to almost none now), panicking pharmacists trying to establish unions and future online market presence.

So you can berate me all you want for making an “illogical” , “crazy” decision because my generation apparently can’t make logical decisions but it’s all based on hard facts and numbers. Your opinion is based on what you feel is important such as accountability “finishing what you started”, past data, the sunk costs, and your feelings of happiness right now. Lol. If I had to choose between making a more logical investment based on the two, I’d go by the numbers.

You can deny global warming because there was snow on the ground today. Doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
 
Last edited:
JustFillIt said:
It depends on how much I paid for the meal itself, and the benefits that may or may not be in the container. By that rationale - I would apply 80,000 dollars for every 2 years... This rationale would imply that I paid 240,000 dollars for the meal itself.

I guess - yes... I would pay 80,000 dollars for a to go box of a meal that I paid 240,000 dollars for.. Especially if taking the to go box was the difference between a high paying job opportunity or literally nothing except entry level positions...

Careful about the rationales that we create to justify the decisions we make.. in this case we clearly see how exaggeration has created a scenario that could support poor judgement.
Click to expand...
This is the textbook definition of sunk cost fallacy.
 
Mcpickle said:
Gotcha, from my view point, pharmacy is not all gravy and I expect it to change quite a bit. Maybe not drastically within the time I would graduate but I do expect it to change a lot within the next decade going by data, past trends, nationwide pharmacy shut downs, pay cuts, firing older higher paid pharmacists, saturation (my view is that the damage as been done, maybe the market will level out in 20-30 years if the number of graduating pharmacists drops to almost none now), panicking pharmacists trying to establish unions and future online market presence.

So you can berate me all you want for making an “illogical” , “crazy” decision because I’m a “millennial” but it’s all based on hard facts and numbers. Your opinion is based on what you feel is important such as accountability “finishing what you started”, past data, the sunk costs, and your feelings of happiness right now. If I had to choose between making a more logical investment based on the two, I’d go by the numbers.

You can deny global warming because there was snow on the ground today. Doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
Click to expand...

You got me. I give up. I have been intellectually grappled to the point where I am tapping out.

Especially when you brought up the global warming thing. I am completely without ability to formulate a counter argument. You have retarted my ability to articulate.
 
JustFillIt said:
You got me. I give up. I have been intellectually grappled to the point where I am tapping out.

Especially when you brought up the global warming thing. I am completely without ability to formulate a counter argument. You have retarted my ability to articulate.
Click to expand...
JustFillIt said:
Gotcha - well from my point of view pharmacy is all gravy... couldn’t be happier. That’s the truth and I don’t expect it to change.
Click to expand...

I mean, you said you don't expect it to change even though the data is all right there. It just reminds me a climate change denier. If you're going to say something like that, you should probably have a case for it. But working your way out of losing an argument that you started using sarcasm works too.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
All the advice above is both right and wrong. You just have to figure out if it applies to your situation.

Here's what I would do, if you have completed 50% or more of the Pharm D, then I would say stick it out. Because you are already half-way there, and even if you will be taking out more loans, at least you will end up with a degree. And that degree does offer job opportunities (just not in LA, Chicago, or New York or any other city with a population over 100,000.) If you drop out, then you just have all the debt and no degree.

However, if you have completed less than 50% of more of the Pharm D, then yes, take your losses and drop out now. Because if you are already this unhappy and 2nd guessing yourself, then it's probably going to affect your schoolwork, and you run the risk of flunking out of pharmacy school with more debt (and then having to explain to another school why you flunked out of the Pharm D program.

So, you don't need to waste any more time thinking about this, just look at your total completed credits (only count the credits for classes you are currently taking, if you are past the withdrawal date to get a full refund.)
>=50% credit slug it through to the end
<50% credit cut your losses and run
 
Last edited:
BidingMyTime said:
All the advice above is both right and wrong. You just have to figure out if it applies to your situation.

Here's what I would do, if you have completed 50% or more of the Pharm D, then I would say stick it out. Because you are already half-way there, and even if you will be taking out more loans, at least you will end up with a degree. And that degree does offer job opportunities (just not in LA, Chicago, or New York or any other city with a population over 100,000.) If you drop out, then you just have all the debt and no degree.

However, if you have completed less than 50% of more of the Pharm D, then yes, take your losses and drop out now. Because if you are already this unhappy and 2nd guessing yourself, then it's probably going to affect your schoolwork, and you run the risk of flunking out of pharmacy school with more debt (and then having to explain to another school why you flunked out of the Pharm D program.

So, you don't need to waste any more time thinking about this, just look at your total completed credits (only count the credits for classes you are currently taking, if you are past the withdrawal date to get a full refund.)
>=50% credit slug it through to the end
<50% credit cut your losses and run
Click to expand...
Nah. I think time is more precious than anything. Know a girl who dropped out of MD school during year 3 who could have slugged it out till after year 4 and got her MD but didn’t. She had a chemistry undergrad and around 100k debt when she left. The only reason why she left was because she hated it and was extremely unhappy. Yeah her life wasn’t balling or great for about a year or 2 after but she turned out better than fine. Employers took a chance and interviewed her because she went to med school, finished or not.

If you’re miserable, leave. The market, work conditions, and stress is even better reason to. I’m not saying to leave without a solid plan. But don’t waste more time and money than you have to.

You can go back to pharmacy school if your life sucks that much without a pharmD. If I’m 30 and am more miserable than I was thinking about being a pharmacist/working as an intern, I can go back with only 2 years to go. I’m sure they’ll be blood thirsty for applicants then.

If you leave with 25-50% you technically got what you would have gotten the same deal when you leave the profession eventually anyway. Getting into pharmacy school and doing a couple years of it says something. I’m sure finished or not you’re still going to get an entry level position. Use the other 2-3 years you would have spent in pharmacy school to actually get work experience in the field you want, live with your parents or extremely frugally and pay off your loans faster. Half a pharmD with couple years of relative experience probably looks/is better than just a pharmD with no relative experience. Job hopping is the way to get raises now which is not a trend pharmacists can follow with only like 3 major chain employers and the saturation. The trend of the job market now is “can you do the job?” “how much potential do you have?”, “how hard do I think this person will work?” not “this piece of paper says I have business degree therefore I do good business”. So having a half or quarter pharmD on a resume and the professionalism skills you learned are still useful.

Don’t waste more time paying more tuition for a pharmD you don’t even want as a “back up” which you’ll have no other sensible options than to work as a pharmacist full time for at least a couple of years till you’re 30. It’s a lot easier to make a change when you have no commitments. If you get a job as a pharmacist you’ll have to move, get a car, settle in an area, take care of at least half your loans then you can think about leaving the profession which you probably never will. And why should Walgreens hire you in 2040 when you finally decide to use your “2022 back up degree” vs a new grad who graduated 2040 or the 50 other pharmacists who have 20 years experience who also applied for the position unless the market becomes desperate again? Leave now, go back, graduate 2040, lol IF you regret it that much.

This quarter million “backup” thing is bull****. In pharmacy, a certificate is a certificate. Whoever is newer, cheaper and faster will win. These amazing wide range of opportunities in big cities are not limited to pharmacy.

It’s still the beginning of the school year, as long as you’re not a P4, I would take a leave of absence and think. NP is booming right now with around the same pay. Yeah sure it’s not a doctorate but ego sounds kind of silly now. Being employed with stability sounds better than whatever is happening right now and the impending trends to follow in pharmacy.
 
Last edited:
studentpharmmmd said:
Has anyone dropped out of pharmacy school and switched to something else? I am thinking of doing this, so I figure there have to be some people who have done this due to the current pharmacy outlook. Just looking for some stories.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
You’re making the right decision after realizing this career isn’t for you. Things are absolutely terrible for pharmacists right now. There’s so much more out there you can do. Good luck!
 
I've been considering it every waking moment lol. I'm a P3 and have been told on other forums it may be better to finish it out since I'm in too deep, but if I were a P1 or even P2 first semester... Hell yes I would drop out and switch.

Hopefully this goes without saying, but definitely research the job prospects further than what the schools feed you for whatever you choose next.
 
studentpharmmmd said:
Has anyone dropped out of pharmacy school and switched to something else? I am thinking of doing this, so I figure there have to be some people who have done this due to the current pharmacy outlook. Just looking for some stories.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
This happened all the time. I had classmates who dropped out of pharmacy school and went to medical school.
 
I did. In contrast to what people usually think about quitting and giving up being easy, leaving something that used to be your goals behind and moving on will take tremendous amount of courage. It is a really tough decision to make, especially when that decision comes with a price. However, your health and happiness are more important than ANYTHING else in the long run. I had friend who hated pharmacy but tried really hard to make it to P4. He then ended up committing suicide due to stress and realized that he should have left the field earlier. He left after that incidence. Now he owns a small restaurant and he said his life has become so much happier.

People will tell you to finish what you started and tough it out or snap out of it all the time, but they are NOT you. Only YOU know how you are feeling. The ONLY person who is going to go through everything is YOU, not anyone else. Quitting may be a setback; however, learning how to handle setbacks is also a lesson to success and happiness. Believe in yourself. If you have a plan and have a choice, go for it. Everything has a trade-off, and again nothing can be more worth than your health and happiness in the long run.

People drop out of PhD and medical school all the time (A quick google search will show you the data). Some of them even drop out after investing 4-5 years in, so dropping out of pharmacy is nothing special. 🙂 "As long as you have a solid plan of what you truly want to do after dropping out, you will be fine. If you have a good GPA and still think about dropping out, you probably should get out of pharmacy asap" - This is what my advisor told me when I asked him for dropping-out advices lol.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Pharmacy managers: First day at a long-term care pharmacy
Replies
0
Views
2K
bigpilllilpill
B
N
Any resource recommendations for Texas pharmacy law?
Replies
2
Views
311
baronzb
B
S
Shout out to my 10-15 year old pharmacy veterans, who are trying to survive
Replies
12
Views
3K
Dred Pirate
Dred Pirate
I
Career Change to Pharmacy
Replies
9
Views
4K
lord999
lord999
R
Thinking of leaving pharmacy school
Replies
7
Views
5K
gracefuldoc
G
Top Bottom