Pharmacy Tech Job: A Really Long Commute

[Tinkerbell22]

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I don't normally start new threads, but I have an issue. I have been trying to get a job outside of the bar/restaurant industry for about 3 months now. Going to school full time and working 12 hour shifts with no breaks until the wee hours of the morning is not benefitting me in any way, and the pay is unpredictable at best. I've interviewed for a medical assistant job, a teller at a bank, and numerous other jobs, but no one wants to hire me after I tell them I might be leaving for pharmacy school eventually.

I was offered a job today as a tech in a grocery store, but I will be driving 45 miles each way. That's 90 miles and two hours per day. I've been looking for tech jobs on and off for almost a year now and this is the first one that even looks promising. I said I would do it, but I just wanted to know if anyone else has had to commute so far?

First of all, I need the experience. Second of all, I REALLY need the money in case I do get an acceptance somewhere I will have to move out of town and get an apartment on my own. Also, the store is slow supposedly, so it shouldn't be too stressful. As far as gas, my car only takes premium which is a little over 3 dollars/gallon here, and I get about 24 mpg highway. So it will cost me about 12-15 dollars (guessing?) per day of work, which isn't too bad.

Does anyone else drive this far for school or work?

 

[SmKN808]

heyy tink ^ ^ gosh girl what a drag eh? 🙁 well, since nobody replied yet. i'd say go for it. though, continue applying to closer pharmacies in the mean time. hopefully, you'll get lucky after having some actual pt experience on that resume eh? anyway... best of luck! with that tink 😉 and happy holidays to you and yours also 😀

 

[MiataMike]

but no one wants to hire me after I tell them I might be leaving for pharmacy school eventually.

Well DUH! You don't TELL them that!

 

[RaneyNi]

I used to be in your situation. My work was an hour away and 2 hours round trip. I love going to work and that made up for the gas (the car takes 16 mph b/c it's old and rackety), hours spent driving, and the fatigue I had to suffer after work. My employer is great and the pharmacy caters to a lot of people, so we get a lot of foot traffic. It's about how much you will learn from the experience. I didn't worry about the pay, I had originally wanted to volunteer only. I did it for a year until I moved closer to the workplace.

 

[Sparda29]

I don't normally start new threads, but I have an issue. I have been trying to get a job outside of the bar/restaurant industry for about 3 months now. Going to school full time and working 12 hour shifts with no breaks until the wee hours of the morning is not benefitting me in any way, and the pay is unpredictable at best. I've interviewed for a medical assistant job, a teller at a bank, and numerous other jobs, but no one wants to hire me after I tell them I might be leaving for pharmacy school eventually.

I was offered a job today as a tech in a grocery store, but I will be driving 45 miles each way. That's 90 miles and two hours per day. I've been looking for tech jobs on and off for almost a year now and this is the first one that even looks promising. I said I would do it, but I just wanted to know if anyone else has had to commute so far?

First of all, I need the experience. Second of all, I REALLY need the money in case I do get an acceptance somewhere I will have to move out of town and get an apartment on my own. Also, the store is slow supposedly, so it shouldn't be too stressful. As far as gas, my car only takes premium which is a little over 3 dollars/gallon here, and I get about 24 mpg highway. So it will cost me about 12-15 dollars (guessing?) per day of work, which isn't too bad.

Does anyone else drive this far for school or work?

I drive about 30 miles to school each way every day. Then again, I like driving unless there is traffic.

Hmm, 45 miles is only like a 35 minute drive if you go 75 mph. 😀

You live in Florida right? Have you applied to CVS, they are usually all over the place and they're good about pharmacy school and whatnot since, they have a pharmacy, lol. And you can just transfer to a CVS close to whatever pharmacy school you end up going to.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Well DUH! You don't TELL them that!

That's what my mom said but I can't bring myself to flat out lie. I'm a horrible liar. They always explicitly ask me how long I will be living here, why I majored in what I did, what my future plans are, etc etc. As soon as they find out that I don't want to be a teller/medical assistant/whatever for the rest of my life and that I have future plans then they move on to the other 20 applicants. 🙁 The only places that don't care are the food/beverage industry because of the insanely high turnover and relatively cheap and easy training I guess.

 

[Kaxa2000]

Well, what makes you assume that it's b/c you said you are planning on going to pharmacy school that made them not want you?

 

[Tinkerbell22]

I drive about 30 miles to school each way every day. Then again, I like driving unless there is traffic.

Hmm, 45 miles is only like a 35 minute drive if you go 75 mph. 😀

You live in Florida right? Have you applied to CVS, they are usually all over the place and they're good about pharmacy school and whatnot since, they have a pharmacy, lol. And you can just transfer to a CVS close to whatever pharmacy school you end up going to.

I forgot to add that the store is in the middle of nowhere so I have to take this road that is only 45 mph 🙁 Driving fast is a vice of mine but I think that ticket would earn me a court date LOL

I don't know what the problem is with CVS and Walgreens down here. I don't know what is wrong, maybe I am doing something wrong. I've applied to about 15 CVS and 15 Walgreens, and I've done the online application and walked in with my resume as well, but they either flat out tell me they aren't hiring or they ask me if I am certified with experience because they do really high volume. I look kind of young but I try to dress very professionally when I go and get feedback on my resume to make it better in case there is something wrong with that, but nothing seems to make a difference. Maybe I should just stop complaining. I think I can handle the drive. I will still be making more money than I am spending to get there, plus I will actually work somewhere that relates to pharmacy and I will get experience. South Florida is notorious for unemployment and over population in certain areas so I guess this isn't too bad.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Well, what makes you assume that it's b/c you said you are planning on going to pharmacy school that made them not want you?

It's not that, it's the fact that I'd be leaving in 8 months if I am accepted. They don't want to invest training and time and money into someone who is just going to leave to pursue something else in less than a year.

I know this because they tell me they're really interested when the interview first starts and we're talking about good stuff like my bachelor's degree and prior experience working and they tell me that they've had a lot of applicants but they would like to know more about me to see if we can work something out... but then they start questioning why I'm applying to their business as a biology major, why I'm pursuing my MBA, what I plan to do with my future, etc etc and they basically tell me that they need someone who is in it for the long haul.

 

[MiataMike]

Sounds like you're applying to the wrong jobs. Apply to some chains like CVS or Walgreens. They have student applicants lined up outside the door. Getting 8 months out of a student is great for them and they're fully aware that students can't be expected to be tied down to the job forever. Another plus is that they have locations everywhere so you're more than likely to find a location near your school when you do actually get accepted somewhere.

 

[Sparda29]

Sounds like you're applying to the wrong jobs. Apply to some chains like CVS or Walgreens. They have student applicants lined up outside the door. Getting 8 months out of a student is great for them and they're fully aware that students can't be expected to be tied down to the job forever. Another plus is that they have locations everywhere so you're more than likely to find a location near your school when you do actually get accepted somewhere.

She did apply.

Hmm, I know it's a 45 mph speed limit. Do they strictly enforce it?

 

[Tinkerbell22]

She did apply.

Hmm, I know it's a 45 mph speed limit. Do they strictly enforce it?

No not really... you can go 50-55 without getting pulled over. Once I was doing 60-65 because I don't normally drive there and a sherriff pulled me over and gave me a warning. Luckily I was polite and didn't get a ticket because I have no points on my license and I like cheap insurance. LOL

I wish I could get a job at CVS or Walgreens because they're so close to everything. I guess I could try a few more and see if anything works out before I take another job. The only other upside to the grocery store is they close really early!

 

[MiataMike]

Oh sorry, I guess I missed that post. 🙄

Anyway, chains are most likely to look for people when students go back to school (early January and especially late August). I applied to Walgreens sometime in late March and got an interview soon after. Granted I did have a bit of previous experience. Still, I know my Walgreens hires plenty of people who've never so much as held a spatula in their hands. Just keep trying.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Oh sorry, I guess I missed that post. 🙄

Anyway, chains are most likely to look for people when students go back to school (early January and especially late August). I applied to Walgreens sometime in late March and got an interview soon after. Granted I did have a bit of previous experience. Still, I know my Walgreens hires plenty of people who've never so much as held a spatula in their hands. Just keep trying.

If you don't mind me asking... where do you live? Also... how did you go about applying? Did you do strictly online or did you walk in with a resume and ask to speak with the pharmacy manager? The only "experience" I really have is volunteering in a hospital pharmacy, working as a waitress, and I helped start a tropical fish business and did secretarial and receptionist duties for 10 months. That's it... but I learn fast and I have decent communication skills so I think I could train pretty quickly.

 

[Maxalted]

Buy a Sirius-XM radio and the drive will become enjoyable.

I will add that I was hired after admitting that I will be moving away to pharmacy school. I wasn't planning on lying since I needed the recommendation.

 

[MiataMike]

If you don't mind me asking... where do you live? Also... how did you go about applying? Did you do strictly online or did you walk in with a resume and ask to speak with the pharmacy manager? The only "experience" I really have is volunteering in a hospital pharmacy, working as a waitress, and I helped start a tropical fish business and did secretarial and receptionist duties for 10 months. That's it... but I learn fast and I have decent communication skills so I think I could train pretty quickly.

I'm from New Jersey. First thing I did was just go around all my local pharmacies and just ask if they're hiring. Then I was told to apply online. But I think it's important for the pharmacy manager to actually see your face. He gets tons of applications to sift through but he'll remember someone if they actually took the time to introduce themselves.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Buy a Sirius-XM radio and the drive will become enjoyable.

I will add that I was hired after admitting that I will be moving away to pharmacy school. I wasn't planning on lying since I needed the recommendation.

The Sirius radio came with my car but my subscription ended and I never renewed it. I am cheap. LOL But hey, if I get a job I will be able to afford it!

I had mine programed to Octane, Classic Rewind, Shade 45, Hip Hop Nation, and Area. I do miss that thing... thanks for reminding me I sort of forgot about it.

 

[confettiflyer]

haha, i usually listen to BBC Radio One or 20 on 20, was not very adventurous unless I had something like a 4 hour drive to Vegas.

As for the job...take it, but make sure you can stack up your shift to 8 hours and maybe minimize the # of days you work (let them know you commute far and hopefully they'll try to work with you).

Once you get an "in" with the company, start looking for opportunities closer to home. It's easier to ask for hours vs. asking for a job...I ended up transferring to another store this way w/ a combination of looking for hours, my original store cutting hours, and this new store undergoing personnel upheaval.

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Oh yeah 20 for 20! I listen to very random music stations, but I used to switch around to that channel too. I am definitely going to ask for the longest possible shifts, but I still have to talk to the manager at this other store because it was the pharmacist that I know who recommended the job. If I could be like a firefighter I would do 24 hours on and 48 hours off. I actually wouldn't mind working 12 hours if I only had to drive a few days. The manager is supposed to call me back tomorrow because they initially wanted to only do a store transfer, and I'm obviously not working there yet so we'll see.

 

[docss26]

Best of luck to you! How long do you plan on working until you leave for pharmacy school. Thats gonna make you look bad to the company. I hope it works out for you though. Good luck. Pharm tech fo lyfe. 👍

 

[Tinkerbell22]

Best of luck to you! How long do you plan on working until you leave for pharmacy school. Thats gonna make you look bad to the company. I hope it works out for you though. Good luck. Pharm tech fo lyfe. 👍

The pharmacist is the same person who wrote me my LOR so they all know I might be leaving. If I don't get accepted then I will stay and have even more time to save $... but the possibility of me leaving is the whole reason why I could never lie at any of my interviews because I don't want to look bad if I should have to quit later on. I want them to know because I couldn never feel comfortable trying to hide something like that... plus if I have to fly out of town for an interview I need to be honest.

 

[confettiflyer]

The pharmacist is the same person who wrote me my LOR so they all know I might be leaving. If I don't get accepted then I will stay and have even more time to save $... but the possibility of me leaving is the whole reason why I could never lie at any of my interviews because I don't want to look bad if I should have to quit later on. I want them to know because I couldn never feel comfortable trying to hide something like that... plus if I have to fly out of town for an interview I need to be honest.

I think most places have an understanding that a good bulk of students applying for jobs will leave within a year or two due to school. If you stay local, you can always sign on as an intern and work random weekends. I only worked for a year at CVS and made some good contacts in the process.