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[COPBound]

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Ok heres the deal, Im a 29 year old married man with two beautiful daughters. Ive finally came to point in my life where I need to make some changes for the better of myself and my family. Ive decided to start on my path to becoming a pharmacist. Im starting school at a community college here in New Mexico. I work full time from 830am to 5pm. For the first semester I have already registered for all my classes to be online. Math, English, Communications, and a "college success class" (just a random class I had to take to get to 12 hours). My plan is to do online classes for the first semester then go to evening classes in the spring term. Now I understand that it helps a lot to have some pharmacy experience, which I do not have right now. It seems that around here Pharm Techs start around 9.50hr. Right now im making 14.31hr so im looking at close to 5.00hr hit.
So this is where I need your help.
My goal is to continue working where I do now for another year. Then next year when my 2nd year of school starts I plan on quitting my job, getting student loans go to school full time (18hrs a term) and then work part time as a pharm tech around 3-5 days a week on evenings or weekends. I don’t want to work more than that because I don’t want anything getting in the way of my studies.
So let’s say i complete my pre reqs within 2-2 1/2 years. That would mean I would have 1-1 1/2 years’ experience as a pharm tech. Does this seem like it would be enough experience? Should I become a pharm tech ASAP or do you think I’ll be fine waiting 1 year? I want to hold out as much as possible on getting more student loans (ya MORE! I have more than 20k in loans now from Itt-Tech.... that’s a whole different nightmare story).

Sorry so long, but I want to get all the advice I can because this is the next 6 years for the rest of my life.

Thanks to all and God bless!

 

[pharm B]

The biggest thing you need to account for in your planning is the sequence of courses and their availability. For example, Bio I and Bio II have to be taken in order, and Microbiology and Genetics typically require these courses as pre-reqs. So that's a 4 semester track right there. Same goes for Chem I&II leading into O-Chem I&II.

The problem arises in trying to complete two courses (a bio and a chem) that both have their own labs while trying to keep your schedule night-based. Add in physics and A&P (if required) and scheduling becomes a nightmare.

Becoming a pharmacy tech is by no means required. I don't know what school you're looking into, or how competitive its admissions process is, but plenty of students get in without being techs.

 

[deleted329060]

Make sure the courses you take will be accepted by your potential schools. Be sure to do well in your classes because it is not good enough to just pass.
Make time for your family.

Honestly, I don't see how people with a family to raise can go back to school. If you'll be working 9-5, how much time will you be able to dedicate for class? You'll have daily chores, daughters to take care of, etc. It's essentially a 6 yr commitment (at the minimum) that your family will have to make in order for you to become a pharmacist.

 

[lazysnake25]

Like one of the above posters said, you don't have to have pharm tech work experience. I understand that you are worried about the drop in your income if you start working as a pharm tech. In that case, maybe you could just volunteer at a pharmacy on the weekends or just shadow a pharmacist or two. You don't need hundreds of hours or even years of experience. As long as you can show the admissions staff that you understand pharmacy and that you have SOME experience, then you should be fine. But with that said, it still really depends on the specific schools you want to get into. If you already have a couple schools you have in mind, I suggest contacting the admissions office and checking with them since they would probably be able to give you a better answer.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

 

[adma826]

If you can find a way to get time out of your daytime schedule you can volunteer at the Pharmacy at Kirtland AFB. If you are interested, contact the Red Cross on Monroe (you know, near the Dions) and they should be able to get you in touch with the Red Cross office on base that processes the requests and security checks, etc...

I have a friend who has volunteered on base at our Pharmacy here for 3 yrs now and she told me the other day that she is able to negotiate her volunteer hours pretty easily (of course within the hours the Pharmacy is actually open). When I was at the one at Kirtland a few mos ago, they were advertising a need for volunteers who could do 4 hour blocks, but it never hurts to ask. Right now they are doing a huge remodel of the Pharmacy and it is a disaster area but I can't imagine it won't be done in the next 4 mos or so.

 

[pinksparkly]

Honestly, I don't see how people with a family to raise can go back to school. If you'll be working 9-5, how much time will you be able to dedicate for class? You'll have daily chores, daughters to take care of, etc. It's essentially a 6 yr commitment (at the minimum) that your family will have to make in order for you to become a pharmacist.

It is completely possible. A supportive partner is almost a necessity. If you are working full time, you might have to consider either taking longer to complete your prereqs or not working (live off of student loans and keep your standard of living low)/working part-time, taking a huge courseload/going to school year-round, and banging everything out as fast as possible. I am doing a combination of this. My husband had bo problem signing on to a six-year+ commitment provided I actually become a pharmacist at the end of it all.

 

[COPBound]

nexus14

That is where my topic comes from. I dont plan on taking ANY time away from my family. Right now I got online classes. I take my laptop to work everyday, and on my lunch breaks I do my homework, this way I dont have any when I get home from lunch, and if I do have some left over, its very little and can do when the girls are eating dinner.

Next term will be a little more rough because I do plan on taking evening classes. But that is only for one semester which is 5 months. Ill take 1 or 2 classes online again in the summer, then my plan is to QUIT working, go to school full time during the day 730am-2ish, head over to the school library and stay there till 4 or 5 (or till my homework is done which ever comes first) then head home. I can only do this if im able to get student loans that equal what I take home now per year in order to maintain our bills.

I have an appointment with a fin aide adviser on Aug 23rd to go over ALL my financial options.

 

[vasoolraja]

nexus14

That is where my topic comes from. I dont plan on taking ANY time away from my family. Right now I got online classes. I take my laptop to work everyday, and on my lunch breaks I do my homework, this way I dont have any when I get home from lunch, and if I do have some left over, its very little and can do when the girls are eating dinner.

Next term will be a little more rough because I do plan on taking evening classes. But that is only for one semester which is 5 months. Ill take 1 or 2 classes online again in the summer, then my plan is to QUIT working, go to school full time during the day 730am-2ish, head over to the school library and stay there till 4 or 5 (or till my homework is done which ever comes first) then head home. I can only do this if im able to get student loans that equal what I take home now per year in order to maintain our bills.

I have an appointment with a fin aide adviser on Aug 23rd to go over ALL my financial options.

I am in a similar position as yours. I am 36 years old and have a family -wife and a toddler! I have a full time job from 8 to 5 pm. My job pays me 37K per annum. My job is in a non-pharmacy field and I thought of quitting this job and becoming a pharm tech. But pharm tech positions pay a lot less than what I am making now. So I decided to stay in my present job and take evening classes and online classes. I am taking 7 credits this fall. It will take a long long time for me to complete the pre reqs because I am taking only a couple of courses each semester. I wouldn't be able to take more courses because I have a full time job and also a family to care for. However, I hope that some day I will be done with my pre reqs and I will be able to apply to pharmacy schools!

 

[Trankuil]

nexus14

That is where my topic comes from. I dont plan on taking ANY time away from my family. Right now I got online classes. I take my laptop to work everyday, and on my lunch breaks I do my homework, this way I dont have any when I get home from lunch, and if I do have some left over, its very little and can do when the girls are eating dinner.

Next term will be a little more rough because I do plan on taking evening classes. But that is only for one semester which is 5 months. Ill take 1 or 2 classes online again in the summer, then my plan is to QUIT working, go to school full time during the day 730am-2ish, head over to the school library and stay there till 4 or 5 (or till my homework is done which ever comes first) then head home. I can only do this if im able to get student loans that equal what I take home now per year in order to maintain our bills.

I have an appointment with a fin aide adviser on Aug 23rd to go over ALL my financial options.

Im sorry to say, but unfortunately you will be taking time away from your family going back to school, at least until the next semester where you plan to quit your job, but even then, you are going to spend a lot more time studying than you think. That is if you want to get a competitive GPA, which Im sure you do. I agree though, that you dont HAVE to become a tech, Im not a tech, I applied, was accepted, and already (hopefully) have an intern job lined up. I would definately recommend shadow experience though. Pharmacy schools want to know WHY you want to be a pharmacist, and if you have no experience its pretty sketch. It will also help you know if this really is the career field for you, because you will have to sacrifice alot of time to get the schooling done, and aquire a good chunk of debt. I hope it works out for you though. I have a 3 month old son, and just had to move. We have had to sacrifice to get to where Im at now, and still will be the next 3 years, but we know the payoff will be worth it. Good luck!

 

[deleted329060]

It is completely possible. A supportive partner is almost a necessity..

I agree. I didn't mean to shoot anyone's dreams down with my previous post; I was just being realistic. I feel that if I were in similar shoes as the OP or yourself, I don't think I would be able to do it. When it comes time to apply to pharm school, you may be forced to move or go through a long-distance relationship

I just want to reiterate that you need to get good grades to stay competitive! I know several friends who simply thought that getting C's and B's would suffice in getting an acceptance to a pharmacy school.

 

[UNMorBUST]

COP Ijust want to remind you it takes 3 years to complete pre-reqs for UNM. They changed it to a 3-4 program with this years cycle.
You will also have to complete biochem and looks like 1 physical chem class that many schools don't require.
http://hsc.unm.edu/pharmacy/prereqs.shtml

 

[rxlea]

Completely possible with a family. It is up to you and your partner to determine the sacrifices- and there will be sacrifices. Just the way life goes. I understand that people need/want to focus a lot of attention on their kids, especially as infants. I don't know how old your girls are but if they are school age, taking time away for studies isn't going to be as hard as it would be during infancy when they are going through all those stages. Hey, plenty of us were latch-key kids and we turned out just fine 😛 the point I am trying to make is that you need to assess the impact this will have on your family AND your marriage. It won't be easy. With late labs and working FT, you are going to be very tired. I went through it- I know how it feels. Hopefully, your wife is going to be super supportive. Besides, if your kids are school age, you can do your HW together 😉 now you just have to think about the opportunity cost. Seven years is a long time.

 

[COPBound]

Thanks for all the feedback guys/gals. I understand that it will be a lot of work and a lot of time, but I am determined to get through this. The good thing is I have a wife who is very very supportive of this, and who is understanding when it comes to the impact it will have on our family. As far as our kids go, one is 3 and the other is 1 so I wont be able to do homework with them.... yet haha.

I think once I quit working and can go to school full time during the day while the wife is at work and the girls are at day care, it will be a lot easier. I plan on using any and all resources the schools have to offer such as tutors and anything else they have to help me with my studies.

rxlea, you're right 7 years is a long time. Every time someone asks me how long Ill be in school for they trip out when I say around 6 years. But I always tell them, "6 years is going to happen no matter what. If im in school or not, 6 or 7 years will pass by, might as well be working on a career I could be proud of, not to mention make good money too"

 

[b1234]

COP Ijust want to remind you it takes 3 years to complete pre-reqs for UNM. They changed it to a 3-4 program with this years cycle.
You will also have to complete biochem and looks like 1 physical chem class that many schools don't require.
http://hsc.unm.edu/pharmacy/prereqs.shtml

Ouch... Pchem as a requirement...

 

[vasoolraja]

"6 years is going to happen no matter what. If im in school or not, 6 or 7 years will pass by, might as well be working on a career I could be proud of, not to mention make good money too"
[/QUOTE]
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