Pharmacy vs. Engineering

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

Which one has more potential? Which one is better for grad school?

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[jemc2000]

Which one has more potential? Which one is better for grad school?

Depends on what you are looking for. Most pharmacy's starting pay is higher than most engineering's starting pay.

 

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

Depends on what you are looking for. Most pharmacy's starting pay is higher than most engineering's starting pay.

Whats better for the folks thats continuing their development ... going back to b-school, going to law-school, starting their own business.

Which has better opportuniites ? and which is better to pursue other possibly higher paying paths?

 

[Bluhappy102]

there are joint pharmd/mba, pharmd/phd, and pharmd/jd programs available...lawyers dont necessarily make a lot of money neither does having an mba, but there is a lot of potential with those degrees. Pharmacy and other health care professions are pretty much guaranteed $$ and jobs. All of these professions have room for growth. I hope you don't choose a career solely based on money tho ...there are more important aspects to consider...

 

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

there are joint pharmd/mba, pharmd/phd, and pharmd/jd programs available...lawyers dont necessarily make a lot of money neither does having an mba, but there is a lot of potential with those degrees. Pharmacy and other health care professions are pretty much guaranteed $$ and jobs. All of these professions have room for growth. I hope you don't choose a career solely based on money tho ...there are more important aspects to consider...

Since almost no one knows what their life path will be, and many career changes are likely (and desireable from my point of view), engineering makes a great place to start.

Will just a BS in one field of engineering is not going to give most people a varied and fulfilling career? what about just a PharmD?

Engineering is not the be-all and end -all of education. But, society is more and more technical. For those who write, for those who lead, for those who manufacture, for those who sell, and for those who manage others who do these things techncial education is useful. The perceived lack of technical education is not helpful. Does a undergrad in pharmacy give a technical education compared to engineering?

 

[atlanta_pharm]

Which one has more potential? Which one is better for grad school?

Hey which came first the chicken or the egg? Which is better white chocolate dark chocolate? You prefer chuncky chicks or thin chicks? Do your own research and do what is best for YOU YOU YOU. Which is better boxers or briefs? Boneless or bone-in wings? Hopscotch or duck duck goose? Go talk to you school advisor. The NINJA has spoken.

 

[ZpackSux]

lol.. not again...

 

[ZpackSux]

Since almost no one knows what their life path will be, and many career changes are likely (and desireable from my point of view), engineering makes a great place to start.

Will just a BS in one field of engineering is not going to give most people a varied and fulfilling career? what about just a PharmD?

Engineering is not the be-all and end -all of education. But, society is more and more technical. For those who write, for those who lead, for those who manufacture, for those who sell, and for those who manage others who do these things techncial education is useful. The perceived lack of technical education is not helpful. Does a undergrad in pharmacy give a technical education compared to engineering?

Then go get u an engineering degree and be done with it. Pharmacy is no match against engineering...even though all my engineer brother and sister in laws live in fear of layoffs...and make less money.

 

[Betty'sBeast]

There are a lot of people around here that have gone from engineering to pharmacy. I started out in engineering way back when, but it just wasn't for me. You are the only person that can decide what profession is right for you. "Does a undergrad in pharmacy give a technical education compared to engineering?", are you referring to the pre-reqs for pharmacy school? I don't see myself as a pharmacist forever, but I'm looking forward to the education and experience.

 

[bananaface]

You are asking people with expertise in one profession to compare it to a profession we know little about. We can certainly tell you about pharmacy, but we cannot really help advise you on issues relating to engineering. It is best to gather the information on each separately and then make your own decision as to what is best for you.

 

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

There are a lot of people around here that have gone from engineering to pharmacy. I started out in engineering way back when, but it just wasn't for me. You are the only person that can decide what profession is right for you. "Does a undergrad in pharmacy give a technical education compared to engineering?", are you referring to the pre-reqs for pharmacy school? I don't see myself as a pharmacist forever, but I'm looking forward to the education and experience.

Whats your reason for changing from engineering to pharmacy? Are there people who went from pharmacy to engineering and vice versa? I meant does a degree in pharmacy give you the technical (math, science) knowledge that engineering does?

 

[RUN DMV]

I don't think the two professions compare. For one thing, PharmD takes at least 6 years to complete compare to 4 years for BS in Engineering. So if you're interested in having different experiences, go in Engineering and be done with it. Go see where it takes you. However, if you're interested, look up Pfizer's Guide to Careers in Pharmacy. It'll show you all of the different paths in pharmacy you can take.

Like someone else said, in engineering, you're always worrying about lay-offs. Even my uncle who has an Masters in Electrical Engineering was almost laid off. Plus, engineers are often the victim of ageism. The older you are, the more likely companies are looking towards younger engineers to replace you. Let's face it, who knows more about computers for example, a computer engineer from the 50's where computer run on vacuum tubes or some young guy who just graduate and spent his or her youth programming, playing on the internet and etc.

If you can't tell, I was once an engineering major at Drexel and I HATED IT. I was so depressed in that school and in that major. The economy is kind of crummy for engineers now. Even I had a hard time finding a co-op as an engineering undergrad and when I did, everyone at my workplace was moaning about how everyone might be laid off or they have to go work somewhere else. And today's companies rather hire engineers with a little more experience and willing to work for less money than some kid who just graduate.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[RUN DMV]

Also, I think you shouldn't go into pharmacy unless U KNOW that this is what you want. I think it's too much work to get involved and realize that your heart is not in it. There are thousands of people who are willing to do anything to become a pharmacist and I think you need to do a little more research and a lot of soul searching. Pharmacy is a little more focused considering that it is a professional school with the main objective of having pharmacists to go out and help people directly.

And if you need help getting different experiences, get a job and go out in the real world. Working at my uncle's cell phone store helped me realize that I wanted to do something with my life.

 

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

I'm really sure what I really want to do but I'm considering pharmacy as a good undergrad for maybe law school, medical school, or business school. Would pharmacist have a hard time finding jobs by the time I graduate because theres alot of people going into pharmacy?

Would you say engineering or pharmacy is harder to get a good GPA to get into a top grad school or law or medical school?

 

[RUN DMV]

You're looking too much on the technical stuff. Engineering and pharmacy are two completely different fields with different sets of values. I think you're better off spending the time re-evaluating what you consider important and what would make you happy.

I'm going to assume that every person who transfers from Engineering to pharmacy is because deep down inside, they realize that they would rather spend their lives helping people live their life without any physical or mental problem handicap them from living fully. Also, I consider engineering to obsessed with the bottom line and not fully on people.

 

[LVPharm]

So you are trying to use a doctorate in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) as a stepping stone to become a lawyer or a physician? Most people on this forum consider this degree to be a professional degree leading to licensure as a pharmacist...not an undergraduate degree like philosophy or psychology. Many of us already earned an undergraduate baccalaureate degree prior to pharmacy school. If that's all you want from your pharmacy education...to be a stepping stone (not even to apply your pharmaceutical knowledge to a law or medical practice) then don't go into Pharmacy...we don't want you, and if I sat on an interview panel and heard such drivel, I'd give you poor marks and send you on your merry way back to whatever sh**ty a** community college you call home.

 

[rxforlife2004]

So you are trying to use a doctorate in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) as a stepping stone to become a lawyer or a physician? Most people on this forum consider this degree to be a professional degree leading to licensure as a pharmacist...not an undergraduate degree like philosophy or psychology. Many of us already earned an undergraduate baccalaureate degree prior to pharmacy school. If that's all you want from your pharmacy education...to be a stepping stone (not even to apply your pharmaceutical knowledge to a law or medical practice) then don't go into Pharmacy...we don't want you, and if I sat on an interview panel and heard such drivel, I'd give you poor marks and send you on your merry way back to whatever sh**ty a** community college you call home.

Well said, LV

I somewhat feels this topic is offensive to both engineering and pharmacy field. I totally give respect to engineers, but this is a way different profession, and there is not such "technical" comparision between these two.

 

[Sosumi]

I'm really sure what I really want to do but I'm considering pharmacy as a good undergrad for maybe law school, medical school, or business school. Would pharmacist have a hard time finding jobs by the time I graduate because theres alot of people going into pharmacy?

Would you say engineering or pharmacy is harder to get a good GPA to get into a top grad school or law or medical school?

Pharmacy school is not an undergrad. 80% of my class have already received their Bachelor's degree before they started pharmacy school. Why spend 6+ years for a Pharm.D. when you only need 4 years for law school, business, and medical school? You can also do dual degree programs where you can obtain those degrees together. It need not be your stepping stone. Please DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you go asking these kinds of questions and risk offending those of us on this forum who are in the profession.

 

[kellia]

i doubt that it is likely that you will find someone on this forum that has switched from pharmacy to engineering. this is a PHARMACY FORUM. try doing a search for an engineering forum to meet someone who has had that experience.

 

[ultracet]

LOL

this forum is extremely funny to me....

reason...

my fiance is a mechanical engineer and he took me to his plant one day. so i meet his boss. (the plant engineer with no real degree)
they started discussing how no engineers were going to be coming up there this year.
and then he turned to me and said:
"why would you want to go and count pills for a living? you should go be an engineer, look how in demand they are"
i personally about fell out in the floor laughing at that point and then afterwards

you couldn't pay me enough to work there... he kills pigs for a living...

oh and BTW does it for HALF of what i'll be making when i move up there

Pharmacy is not an undergrad degree and takes longer than engineering.

At the very least do your research before posting in a forum expecting answers

i'm sorry but this irritates me greatly

*rolls eyes* pharmacy an UNDERGRAD degree..

please

 

[goheel]

I think this is a troll.

 

[bananaface]

I'm really sure what I really want to do but I'm considering pharmacy as a good undergrad for maybe law school, medical school, or business school. Would pharmacist have a hard time finding jobs by the time I graduate because theres alot of people going into pharmacy?

Would you say engineering or pharmacy is harder to get a good GPA to get into a top grad school or law or medical school?

A PharmD is an advanced degree, not an undergraduate degree. It takes longer than a MBA, and less time than a MD/DO. It can be the same or less than law school in duration. If you want to do any of those options, just do them. If you feel that you need a stepping stone because you can't get into those programs with your undergraduate GPA, you will probably end up being eaten alive in pharmacy school. It's hard work, not a cakewalk. Going for a master's degree after undergrad would be the easiest way to show that you have reformed academically.

Your comments are very similar to those of trolls we have had here in the past. If you have a genuine interest in pharmacy, by all means continue visiting the site. If you are just here to bother others, then please realize that it's a waste of everyone's time, yourself incuded.

 

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

A PharmD is an advanced degree, not an undergraduate degree. It takes longer than a MBA, and less time than a MD/DO. It can be the same or less than law school in duration. If you want to do any of those options, just do them. If you feel that you need a stepping stone because you can't get into those programs with your undergraduate GPA, you will probably end up being eaten alive in pharmacy school. It's hard work, not a cakewalk. Going for a master's degree after undergrad would be the easiest way to show that you have reformed academically.

Your comments are very similar to those of trolls we have had here in the past. If you have a genuine interest in pharmacy, by all means continue visiting the site. If you are just here to bother others, then please realize that it's a waste of everyone's time, yourself incuded.

I didn't realize pharmacy was not consider an undergrad because I've seen six year programs that admit high school seniors without an bachelor degree needed in law, medicine, etc. The six year pharmD is only 1 or 2 more year than other undergrad majors like philosophy or engineering.

Are there any pharmacy majors that go on to med school or law school because it seem like good preparation for med school?

 

[blueclassring]

I have firsthand experience about what an engineer does, as I am a chemical engineer at the present.

Engineering can be very rewarding, but I promise you that it is a long and difficult road. The classes are very difficult theoretically and sometimes it is very hard to get conceptually. You will probably get a headache doing problems for 6 hours and getting nowhere. There are countless reports and presentations that you have to generate over your undergrad career. Oh yeah, most of the people you are in class with are nerds. I believe that the level of difficulty and workload is comparable to the curriculum at a pharmacy school.(i have not way of verifying this because I'm not in pharmacy school)

I did my undergrad in chemical engineering and generally speaking engineering is the most difficult major you can undertake. My university had its program set up so a student could finish 200 quarter units in 4 years. It's not impossible but it's very difficult to do. You are either a genius or you don't care that your gpa is a 2.0. Personally, I stayed for 5 full years to get my bachelor degree.

Working as an engineer can be rewarding as well if it's your cup of tea, but let me outline some of the disadvantages.

1. You're paid on salary. Whether you work 1 hour or 100 hours, you have a set salary. Most engineers work about an average of 60-70 hours/week which can include weekends. You don't go home until your done with your projects. There are some jobs out there that require you to be on call much like a physician.(that's the reason you see engineers with both pagers and cellphones) When something in the plant breaks down, they turn to you to troubleshoot and fix it. You may spend lots of hours at the plants trying to meet deadlines or finish projects. Adn the projects keep coming and coming and coming. Average starting pay for chemical engineers is about $53000 which is a little bit over $25-26/hr. Half of what pharmacists get paid and no compensation for overtime.

2. Pay raises are small at best. Most engineers that have been in industry for at least 10-15 years are probably making about 80K. Remember that is after 15 years with the same company. I have a friend that got his masters in chemical engineering and his starting salary was $62,000. He was making about 5K more than someone with a bachelor degree. I've seen some companies offer engineers with 8-10 years experience $70,000.

3. You spend a lot of time reading technical papers and writing technical reports. Most of the time corporates want you to document how to do a procedure properly. Most of the time it is documentation and writing how to manuals.

4. Engineers are stereotyped in corporations. Most stereotypes include no social skills, bad hygiene, and black and white thinkers. Most of all, they can't get a date.

5. Responsibility is tremendous. In some organizations, you have several subordinates to manage. Sometimes they like you, but most times they resent you because you're their manager even though you don't know crap about the job. It is your job to ensure that they perform well and things get done. This is one of the advantages I think of getting an engineering degree. You're trusted to manage people and projects from the get-go. ON the flip side of that, you get crapped on when some goes wrong.

6. The work is redundant. Of course you can say that all work is like that to some point. There is nothing interesting about writing reports or reading technical papers all day.

7. Working for corporate giants suck. They drone on about mission statements, statements of purpose, and a whole lot of other garbage that doesn't make any difference anyways. I don't know about job security as other posters have lead you on to believe but there will always be jobs for engineers. It just may not be the perfect job that you want to use your degree for. There are tons of process engineer jobs out there. Check monster.com....

8. Engineering is not something you leave at work(sometimes you never leave work.) Especially if you have a giant project to complete, you tend to take work home with you. I have an uncle who is a civil engineer who does his engineering drawings about home because he's too busy at work. he probably works about 80 hours/week. He makes about 80K and he's been doing it for 20+ years. I have another friend that works for a defense contract firm that makes 6 figures but that's with tons of overtime and not having much of a life.

9. There are many engineering jobs out there where you do not use what you learned in school. In the time that I have been in industry, I have used only about 5%

Would I do engineering over again? Yes and no. It has afforded me the opportunity to travel and work in different countries in the past three years, but also I have found that I could not spend my life doing what I do now. A lot of engineers that post on this website get burned out and find out that working for corporations is not all that great. I also feel that engineers are undercompensated for what they do and the amount of stress that they have to deal with. Organizations can afford to give them this salary b/c there are so many of us out there.

Should you pursue engineering? Before you decide, I encourage you to shadow a couple of them before doing it. See what a typical day is like. If you can't shadow them, interview one. Most will be happy to talk to you.
You can do engineering as a "backup" if you ultimately decide that pharmacy is not for you, but remember it is not easy doing it this way.

Your engineering degree can take you many places and obtaining an advanced degree is always a possibility. I know many classmates that went to med school, and law school afterwards. The rest went into industry and most of them will remain there.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me

 

[ZpackSux]

And wasn't pharmacy originally consider an undergrad major before they changed it to a pharmD?

wb Troll...

 

[jmhousem]

I didn't realize pharmacy was not consider an undergrad because I've seen six year programs that admit high school seniors without an bachelor degree needed in law, medicine, etc. The six year pharmD is only 1 or 2 more year than other undergrad majors like philosophy or engineering.

Are there any pharmacy majors that go on to med school or law school because it seem like good preparation for med school?

Wow. It really seems like you're doing a good job of winding people up on this forum. Is that your intent?

I don't think there are very many people who get a PharmD as a precursor to another degree. There are a number of people who get a JD or MBA degree WITH their PharmD in a joint program. But they usually want to do something directly related to pharmacy. In other words, the PharmD isn't being treated as a stepping stone to a completely different career.

I think the major reason for this is the time, effort, and money involved in getting that PharmD degree. If you want to be a lawyer, do the four year degree in philosophy, political science, sociology, or whatever, and then complete your three years of law school. Why tack on an extra two+ years for a PharmD if you're not going to use it?

I'd say the same thing applies (to a lesser degree) to becoming a physician. Why complete the PharmD degree when you could accomplish the same pre-med goals with a BS/BA in biology or chemistry?

Are you actually planning on practicing pharmacy during your career? If so, there are many career options within the field that you can explore. I believe you have been given plenty of resources in your various posts to help you investigate those options. If you do not want to be a pharmacist in any setting, please take our advice: don't pursue this degree. You would just be taking a seat from someone who really does want to use this education for its intended purpose!

 

[Bluhappy102]

Are there any pharmacy majors that go on to med school or law school because it seem like good preparation for med school?

The B.S. in pharmacy has pretty much been phased out and replace with the PharmD degree. You can get BACHELOR'S degrees in pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology, etc but none of these alone will allow you to become a pharmacist. For med and law school you do not need to even major in science as long as you finish up the prereqs..you could have a philosophy degree and go onto med school. Not only do you not know what it takes to be a pharmacist but you dont know what you need to be a doctor or a lawyer. This is a pharmacy forum...not a "help you decide what you wanna do with your life forum..." Please go and do some research, talk to a counselor before you insult any more people.

 

[NYCillini]

I'm really sure what I really want to do but I'm considering pharmacy as a good undergrad for maybe law school, medical school, or business school. Would pharmacist have a hard time finding jobs by the time I graduate because theres alot of people going into pharmacy?

Would you say engineering or pharmacy is harder to get a good GPA to get into a top grad school or law or medical school?

By the sound of it....you do not sound so sure...law, medical, business, engineering? Those are all very, very different career paths. In fact, the only common denominator amongst them is higher pay grades and prestige level. There is a reason why professional schools value work experience so much....it shows a commitment and a true understanding of the field to which you are dedicating your life to! A huge portion of your life will be spent on working. Do some soul searching, get a job, and then go towards what career fits your interests and skills best. DON'T MAKE A DECISION BASED ON JUST SALARYS!

 

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

Wow. It really seems like you're doing a good job of winding people up on this forum. Is that your intent?

I don't think there are very many people who get a PharmD as a precursor to another degree. There are a number of people who get a JD or MBA degree WITH their PharmD in a joint program. But they usually want to do something directly related to pharmacy. In other words, the PharmD isn't being treated as a stepping stone to a completely different career.

I think the major reason for this is the time, effort, and money involved in getting that PharmD degree. If you want to be a lawyer, do the four year degree in philosophy, political science, sociology, or whatever, and then complete your three years of law school. Why tack on an extra two+ years for a PharmD if you're not going to use it?

I'd say the same thing applies (to a lesser degree) to becoming a physician. Why complete the PharmD degree when you could accomplish the same pre-med goals with a BS/BA in biology or chemistry?

Are you actually planning on practicing pharmacy during your career? If so, there are many career options within the field that you can explore. I believe you have been given plenty of resources in your various posts to help you investigate those options. If you do not want to be a pharmacist in any setting, please take our advice: don't pursue this degree. You would just be taking a seat from someone who really does want to use this education for its intended purpose!

There is not a joint pharmD program in my area, just a 6 year pharmacy program. I want to go into the business or legal aspects of pharmacy maybe after a few years of retail but I'm uncertain and unsure and this could all change so I want to major in something that would open more doors in my career. I want to choose something respectable like pharmacy because theres more respect, don't want to do something easy though because of lack of respect and respect is very important. Pharmacy not a springboard for grad school? Are there people that go to law or business school after they get their pharmD if they didn't enroll in a joint program? What about a pharmD/MD program? How common is it for people to get a MD after a pharmD or a pharmD/MD program because you would have extensive knowledge of both medicine and drugs and have a advantage over an average MD? Or is this seen as a conflict of interests by admissions committee, employers, etc.?

 

[CSzGirl]

And in other news today, an angry mob of pre-pharmacy and pharmacy students....

I love how passionate everyone is on this forum! Yet another reason why I'm going into pharmacy (and NOT as a preparation for Law or Med school)

 

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

By the sound of it....you do not sound so sure...law, medical, business, engineering? Those are all very, very different career paths. In fact, the only common denominator amongst them is higher pay grades and prestige level. There is a reason why professional schools value work experience so much....it shows a commitment and a true understanding of the field to which you are dedicating your life to! A huge portion of your life will be spent on working. Do some soul searching, get a job, and then go towards what career fits your interests and skills best. DON'T MAKE A DECISION BASED ON JUST SALARYS!

I'm not really sure what kind of work a pharmacist but alot of my friends is doing it so I figured its probably a good choice because its in demand and sounds interesting and respectful. I'd probably get an advance degree after a few years working in retail so I'll be more valuable. What degree would you suggest if you want to make it to management in retail? And I don't think its possible to work in a pharmacy if you didn't have a high school diploma yet, I've tried asking some pharmacist but alot of them just gave me the brush off and when I applied, I ALWAYS get a no-call back. Any advice?

 

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

I have firsthand experience about what an engineer does, as I am a chemical engineer at the present.

Engineering can be very rewarding, but I promise you that it is a long and difficult road. The classes are very difficult theoretically and sometimes it is very hard to get conceptually. You will probably get a headache doing problems for 6 hours and getting nowhere. There are countless reports and presentations that you have to generate over your undergrad career. Oh yeah, most of the people you are in class with are nerds. I believe that the level of difficulty and workload is comparable to the curriculum at a pharmacy school.(i have not way of verifying this because I'm not in pharmacy school)

I did my undergrad in chemical engineering and generally speaking engineering is the most difficult major you can undertake. My university had its program set up so a student could finish 200 quarter units in 4 years. It's not impossible but it's very difficult to do. You are either a genius or you don't care that your gpa is a 2.0. Personally, I stayed for 5 full years to get my bachelor degree.

Working as an engineer can be rewarding as well if it's your cup of tea, but let me outline some of the disadvantages.

1. You're paid on salary. Whether you work 1 hour or 100 hours, you have a set salary. Most engineers work about an average of 60-70 hours/week which can include weekends. You don't go home until your done with your projects. There are some jobs out there that require you to be on call much like a physician.(that's the reason you see engineers with both pagers and cellphones) When something in the plant breaks down, they turn to you to troubleshoot and fix it. You may spend lots of hours at the plants trying to meet deadlines or finish projects. Adn the projects keep coming and coming and coming. Average starting pay for chemical engineers is about $53000 which is a little bit over $25-26/hr. Half of what pharmacists get paid and no compensation for overtime.

2. Pay raises are small at best. Most engineers that have been in industry for at least 10-15 years are probably making about 80K. Remember that is after 15 years with the same company. I have a friend that got his masters in chemical engineering and his starting salary was $62,000. He was making about 5K more than someone with a bachelor degree. I've seen some companies offer engineers with 8-10 years experience $70,000.

3. You spend a lot of time reading technical papers and writing technical reports. Most of the time corporates want you to document how to do a procedure properly. Most of the time it is documentation and writing how to manuals.

4. Engineers are stereotyped in corporations. Most stereotypes include no social skills, bad hygiene, and black and white thinkers. Most of all, they can't get a date.

5. Responsibility is tremendous. In some organizations, you have several subordinates to manage. Sometimes they like you, but most times they resent you because you're their manager even though you don't know crap about the job. It is your job to ensure that they perform well and things get done. This is one of the advantages I think of getting an engineering degree. You're trusted to manage people and projects from the get-go. ON the flip side of that, you get crapped on when some goes wrong.

6. The work is redundant. Of course you can say that all work is like that to some point. There is nothing interesting about writing reports or reading technical papers all day.

7. Working for corporate giants suck. They drone on about mission statements, statements of purpose, and a whole lot of other garbage that doesn't make any difference anyways. I don't know about job security as other posters have lead you on to believe but there will always be jobs for engineers. It just may not be the perfect job that you want to use your degree for. There are tons of process engineer jobs out there. Check monster.com....

8. Engineering is not something you leave at work(sometimes you never leave work.) Especially if you have a giant project to complete, you tend to take work home with you. I have an uncle who is a civil engineer who does his engineering drawings about home because he's too busy at work. he probably works about 80 hours/week. He makes about 80K and he's been doing it for 20+ years. I have another friend that works for a defense contract firm that makes 6 figures but that's with tons of overtime and not having much of a life.

9. There are many engineering jobs out there where you do not use what you learned in school. In the time that I have been in industry, I have used only about 5%

Would I do engineering over again? Yes and no. It has afforded me the opportunity to travel and work in different countries in the past three years, but also I have found that I could not spend my life doing what I do now. A lot of engineers that post on this website get burned out and find out that working for corporations is not all that great. I also feel that engineers are undercompensated for what they do and the amount of stress that they have to deal with. Organizations can afford to give them this salary b/c there are so many of us out there.

Should you pursue engineering? Before you decide, I encourage you to shadow a couple of them before doing it. See what a typical day is like. If you can't shadow them, interview one. Most will be happy to talk to you.
You can do engineering as a "backup" if you ultimately decide that pharmacy is not for you, but remember it is not easy doing it this way.

Your engineering degree can take you many places and obtaining an advanced degree is always a possibility. I know many classmates that went to med school, and law school afterwards. The rest went into industry and most of them will remain there.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me

Wow, engineer sounds like hard work, maybe harder than pharmacist. I would have thought that engineering is mostly designing stuff like computers and drugs and didn't realize it was that repetitive. Whats the main reason you switched from engineer to pharmacist? What made you pick engineering over pharmacy originally? Do you plan to get an advanced degree after pharmacy?

 

[goheel]

Wow. It really seems like you're doing a good job of winding people up on this forum. Is that your intent?

I think we call that a troll.

 

[ultracet]

I'd probably get an advance degree after a few years working in retail so I'll be more valuable.

Are you illiterate or just stupid?

a pharm D is an advanced degree

after obtaining it you are called DOCTOR

whereas an MBA would mean you would be called MISTER or MISSES

 

[goheel]

Are you illiterate or just stupid?

Such strong words.

 

[kellia]

Seriously everyone... don't you think we have all wasted way too much time and energy entertaining Anotsu Kagehisa?? I do. This forum is a great support for people serious about Pharmacy as a career and as a way of life. I, for one, am thankful that it exists. While there is nothing wrong with people using the forum to explore their options, this Anotsu Kagehisa person seems only interested in whatever job pays most for the least amount of effort. This is obviously someone who has not done their research on ANY profession. We all have great things to look forward to in our careers and in our lives. hopefully this person and others like him/her will choose another path and stay out of the way of those of us who truly care about our work. People like this have no business in any healthcare related field.

seriously, Anotsu Kagehisa, go find an engineering forum to answer your questions. you have really struck a nerve with most of us seriously preparing to enter this profession. do yourself a favor- decide what career you will like despite the $$. find something that satisfies you personally and professionally. money isn't everything.

 

[rxforlife2004]

Seriously everyone... don't you think we have all wasted way too much time and energy entertaining Anotsu Kagehisa?? I do. This forum is a great support for people serious about Pharmacy as a career and as a way of life. I, for one, am thankful that it exists. While there is nothing wrong with people using the forum to explore their options, this Anotsu Kagehisa person seems only interested in whatever job pays most for the least amount of effort. This is obviously someone who has not done their research on ANY profession. We all have great things to look forward to in our careers and in our lives. hopefully this person and others like him/her will choose another path and stay out of the way of those of us who truly care about our work. People like this have no business in any healthcare related field.

seriously, Anotsu Kagehisa, go find an engineering forum to answer your questions. you have really struck a nerve with most of us seriously preparing to enter this profession. do yourself a favor- decide what career you will like despite the $$. find something that satisfies you personally and professionally. money isn't everything.

Well said...

 

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

Seriously everyone... don't you think we have all wasted way too much time and energy entertaining Anotsu Kagehisa?? I do. This forum is a great support for people serious about Pharmacy as a career and as a way of life. I, for one, am thankful that it exists. While there is nothing wrong with people using the forum to explore their options, this Anotsu Kagehisa person seems only interested in whatever job pays most for the least amount of effort. This is obviously someone who has not done their research on ANY profession. We all have great things to look forward to in our careers and in our lives. hopefully this person and others like him/her will choose another path and stay out of the way of those of us who truly care about our work. People like this have no business in any healthcare related field.

seriously, Anotsu Kagehisa, go find an engineering forum to answer your questions. you have really struck a nerve with most of us seriously preparing to enter this profession. do yourself a favor- decide what career you will like despite the $$. find something that satisfies you personally and professionally. money isn't everything.

How do you know I'm not Serious about Pharmacy as a career? How do you know that Pharmacy Won't satify me Professionally and personally? Those are all ASSumptions. What do you think I'm doing right Now? Researching. Why even post? To explore career options.

 

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

Are you illiterate or just stupid?

a pharm D is an advanced degree

after obtaining it you are called DOCTOR

whereas an MBA would mean you would be called MISTER or MISSES

I KNOW pharm D is an advanced degree. Does that mean One can't get an MBA if One wants to work for business in pharmaceutical companies? In my area, there are No joint PharmD/MBA option. So why do you think its degrading to get an MBA, JD, or MD after a few years of working? Btw, are you legally able to be called "DOCTOR" with a pharm D? Because I've seen pharmacist put Rph. after their names but not the words "Dr."

 

[atlanta_pharm]

I didn't realize pharmacy was not consider an undergrad because I've seen six year programs that admit high school seniors without an bachelor degree needed in law, medicine, etc. The six year pharmD is only 1 or 2 more year than other undergrad majors like philosophy or engineering.

Are there any pharmacy majors that go on to med school or law school because it seem like good preparation for med school?

Honestly, who the phuck gets a PharmD and then goes off to law school? The fact you didn't know that PharmD was a grad program proves my point...you're an idiot and probably one of the *****s previously banned. I don't know whether to feel sorry for you or to slap you. I vote for the b*tch slap. The Ninja has Spoken

 

[Betty'sBeast]

Honestly, who the phuck gets a PharmD and then goes off to law school? The fact you didn't know that PharmD was a grad program proves my point...you're an idiot and probably one of the *****s previously banned. I don't know whether to feel sorry for you or to slap you. I vote for the b*tch slap. The Ninja has Spoken

I vote for slapping you. You are offensive and immature. Your avatar is very offensive as well. Slap yourself before you go around slapping others. And what's up with the avatar anyway? Are you insecure about being an asian or are you just trying to put down caucasians? I don't think a "Once you go white, you'll never go asian." avatar would fly around here and I don't think yours should be allowed either.

 

[Anotsu Kagehisa]

Honestly, who the phuck gets a PharmD and then goes off to law school? The fact you didn't know that PharmD was a grad program proves my point...you're an idiot and probably one of the *****s previously banned. I don't know whether to feel sorry for you or to slap you. I vote for the b*tch slap. The Ninja has Spoken

I never said I didn't know. I was talking about the 6 year program. And You ever heard of pharmD/JD joint programs? Are You even a pharmacist? You know NEXT TO NOTHING about Pharmacy, and yet You went on and on about what was and was not "Necessary”. Simply because YOU are too inexperienced to know why a thing is needed does NOT mean that it’s not needed. It means that you lack Experience enough to comprehend its import.

Anything that YOU didn’t Comprehend, You condemned. It would have been FAR easier to just ASK someone that knew better, but that would have been Beyond what your Ego would allow. That’s SO Unfair .

 

[ZpackSux]

Which one has more potential? Which one is better for grad school?

 

[Betty'sBeast]

And, by the way, it is up to each and every individual to go about their education and career path as they see fit. Just because it isn't traditional or how you think it should be done doesn't make it the wrong choice for someone else. Come on people, why can't a person get a PharmD and then go to law school if they feel like it? If they can get into the school, learn the material, and continue their education after graduation, is it wrong? Pharmacy is not a career jail that you can't leave once you get in, as some here seem to think. Just because someone chooses a path that you wouldn't choose does not make it wrong. I think there are some really closed minded posts creeping into this forum lately and I hate to see it.

 

[goheel]

Mod, please lock this thread. Maybe ban the OP?

 

[Bluhappy102]

I never said I didn't know. I was talking about the 6 year program. And You ever heard of pharmD/JD joint programs? Are You even a pharmacist? You know NEXT TO NOTHING about Pharmacy, and yet You went on and on about what was and was not "Necessary”. Simply because YOU are too inexperienced to know why a thing is needed does NOT mean that it’s not needed. It means that you lack Experience enough to comprehend its import.

Anything that YOU didn’t Comprehend, You condemned. It would have been FAR easier to just ASK someone that knew better, but that would have been Beyond what your Ego would allow. That’s SO Unfair .

Yes there are joint programs and there are people who actually go on to get other degrees...but those people use BOTH degrees in the careers they choose. Why waste 4 years and all that money getting a degree you're not going to use? My point is that nobody gets a pharmD as a stepping stone for another degree...

BTW Anotsu Kagehisa is just in High School...hence the lack of knowledge in the subject and tactless communication skills...

 

[atlanta_pharm]

I vote for slapping you. You are offensive and immature. Your avatar is very offensive as well. Slap yourself before you go around slapping others. And what's up with the avatar anyway? Are you insecure about being an asian or are you just trying to put down caucasians? I don't think a "Once you go white, you'll never go asian." avatar would fly around here and I don't think yours should be allowed either.

LOL....I don't care what you find offensive. If I were insecure about being Asian I would have chosen a diff AV. Furthermore, I could care less how someone wishes to express themselves with an AV. The fact that you are so bothered with it shows how INSECURE you must be. Don't like Asians eh? A bit racist? Had some bad Chinese food? How sad your life must be if you get offended by such petty things...lol. If the MODS have a problem with it they can let me know. Until then, shut your hole and have a GREAT day!

 

[Betty'sBeast]

Mod, please lock this thread. Maybe ban the OP?

I don't think it should be locked, go back through this thread and read the OP comments. None of them are offensive, they are all genuine questions that someone interested in the profession might ask. Just because the OP hasn't done their research doesn't mean they should be banned. Isn't that what this forum is for? Information! Are we going to have a pharmacy knowledge test before someone can join here? The OP suggested that two professions are similar and several people here blew their lids! Take a chill pill folks. (pharmacy humor intended)

 

[goheel]

This poster reminds me of Zerox.

 

[ZpackSux]

I don't think it should be locked, go back through this thread and read the OP comments. None of them are offensive, they are all genuine questions that someone interested in the profession might ask. Just because the OP hasn't done their research doesn't mean they should be banned. Isn't that what this forum is for? Information! Are we going to have a pharmacy knowledge test before someone can join here? The OP suggested that two professions are similar and several people here blew their lids! Take a chill pill folks. (pharmacy humor intended)

You think?