San Diego area pay

[Stevenn]

Hey fellow pharmacists!

I’m a pharmacist who currently work in retail (chain) in Metro Atlanta area. I’m planning to move to San Diego area within the next year and was wondering about the pay. My current salary is $60.5/hour for staff position and I know the pay would be different based on the company and the dirstric.

Anyone know how much the pay is for retail staff/PIC position in San Diego or the sorrounding area?

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[Momus]

64-67 as staff
+$2-5 as manager depending on volume of the store.

 

[BMBiology]

Everyone is moving to California! If I may ask, what made you decide to move to California?

 

[Stevenn]

Everyone is moving to California! If I may ask, what made you decide to move to California?

Moving to California because I’m not originally from Atlanta and would like to live in a highly diverse environment, with more open minded people. Unless you grow up here, nothing about this place fascinates you.. not into college football, Jesus, or sweet tea. If you’ve ever lived in the bible belt, you know why I feel that way about Atlanta. And of course the weather.

 

[gwarm01]

Everyone is moving to California! If I may ask, what made you decide to move to California?

Why:
I visited San Diego once and had a great time.
I lived in Florida for a number of years and loved coastal life, sun, and warmth. The humidity didn't bother me but I could do without it.
Everyone says California pharmacists make tons of money.

Why not:
State taxes through the roof.
Housing cost is at a level I just can't stomach as someone who grew up in the rural mid-south region.
I'm not sure I could handle the traffic.

I'd be lying if I said I never look at jobs in California. I may have even applied to a job at UCLA once.. not sure if I went through with it or was just daydreaming. My top reasons would be climate and lifestyle. Maybe one of these days I'll have enough cash saved up to get out of the pharmacy game, move out west, then buy a fishing boat.

Moving to California because I’m not originally from Atlanta and would like to live in a highly diverse environment, with more open minded people. Unless you grow up here, nothing about this place fascinates you.. not into college football, Jesus, or sweet tea. If you’ve ever lived in the bible belt, you know why I feel that way about Atlanta. And of course the weather.

Buddy, Atlanta might as well be Manhattan compared to where I live. I'm sad to hear it's the same story with religion, sports, and sweet tea. I'll forgive that last one, although I'm a Splenda man myself.

 

[BMBiology]

Moving to California because I’m not originally from Atlanta and would like to live in a highly diverse environment, with more open minded people. Unless you grow up here, nothing about this place fascinates you.. not into college football, Jesus, or sweet tea. If you’ve ever lived in the bible belt, you know why I feel that way about Atlanta. And of course the weather.

Don’t forget about the diverse food!


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[BMBiology]

Why:
I visited San Diego once and had a great time.
I lived in Florida for a number of years and loved coastal life, sun, and warmth. The humidity didn't bother me but I could do without it.
Everyone says California pharmacists make tons of money.

Why not:
State taxes through the roof.
Housing cost is at a level I just can't stomach as someone who grew up in the rural mid-south region.
I'm not sure I could handle the traffic.

I'd be lying if I said I never look at jobs in California. I may have even applied to a job at UCLA once.. not sure if I went through with it or was just daydreaming. My top reasons would be climate and lifestyle. Maybe one of these days I'll have enough cash saved up to get out of the pharmacy game, move out west, then buy a fishing boat.

Housing is ridiculously expensive here but that is an indication of how many people want to move to California.

It is almost impossible to buy a house in a more desirable neighborhood by yourself but dual income is very doable.

I would rather live in a small house in sunny Southern California than in a mansion in the middle of nowhere. You can hang out in Joshua Tree in the morning and then watch the sunset in Laguna Beach in the same day. Where else can you do that?


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[Amphetamine Salts]

i would like to live in san diego at one point. after i pay off my loans i'll start considering getting a luxury apt there and finding work

 

[gwarm01]

I would rather live in a small house in sunny Southern California than in a mansion in the middle of nowhere. You can hang out in Joshua Tree in the morning and then watch the sunset in Laguna Beach in the same day. Where else can you do that?

I'm right there with you. Definitely a small condo kind of person and see no need for a large house. Maybe one day.

 

[student089]

If you look hard, you will find a house within your budget. My parent just bought a house after several months of looking. Too bad that I can't find a job in SD even if I want to. Big chains don't like me and hospitals/PBM require experiences.

 

[mentos]

CA is nice but I can't imagine paying 1 million for a house 3 feet away from your neighbors and an HOA. What's the point of a house if there's no privacy, and you need HOA's permission to put up a shed or something? Also every third house is the exact same design.

 

[Modest_anteater]

Why:
I visited San Diego once and had a great time.
I lived in Florida for a number of years and loved coastal life, sun, and warmth. The humidity didn't bother me but I could do without it.
Everyone says California pharmacists make tons of money.

Why not:
State taxes through the roof.
Housing cost is at a level I just can't stomach as someone who grew up in the rural mid-south region.
I'm not sure I could handle the traffic.

I'd be lying if I said I never look at jobs in California. I may have even applied to a job at UCLA once.. not sure if I went through with it or was just daydreaming. My top reasons would be climate and lifestyle. Maybe one of these days I'll have enough cash saved up to get out of the pharmacy game, move out west, then buy a fishing boat.



Buddy, Atlanta might as well be Manhattan compared to where I live. I'm sad to hear it's the same story with religion, sports, and sweet tea. I'll forgive that last one, although I'm a Splenda man myself.

California and Texas are pretty much the only states that are doing well economically in the last decade. California beats Texas with weather and top companies. Also Texas is not diverse and not liberal at all compared to California so there is that. Also higher pay for pharmacists on average in Cali.

 

[pezdispenser]

You can hang out in Joshua Tree in the morning and then watch the sunset in Laguna Beach in the same day. Where else can you do that?

Can you really do that or will you be stuck in traffic for hours? I just visited L.A. and the traffic was horrendous.

 

[BMBiology]

Can you really do that or will you be stuck in traffic for hours? I just visited L.A. and the traffic was horrendous.

It is all about timing. You have to leave at the right time. West LA traffic is bad but traffic in OC and SD is not bad all. Use Uber when you can.


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[Amphetamine Salts]

how hard is it to get a retail position in san diego anyway? i was just looking through walgreens openings in san diego, 0 openings. does anything open up there often?

 

[BMBiology]

It is all about timing. You have to leave at the right time. West LA traffic is bad but traffic in OC and SD is not bad all. Use Uber when you can.


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I think OC/SD offer a better quality of life than LA. Less traffic. Closer to the beach. Better schools. Cheaper housing too (if you exclude the bad areas of LA, LA is way more expensive).

If you are in your 20s and single then maybe LA would be better. OC/SD tend to be more conservative than LA. Somewhat different demographic.


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[BMBiology]

Can you really do that or will you be stuck in traffic for hours? I just visited L.A. and the traffic was horrendous.

What did you do while in LA?


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[pezdispenser]

What did you do while in LA?


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Just sightseeing--the beaches, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood, drove up the Angeles Crest Hwy, and tried out many restaurants including a few ethnic ones like Vietnamese, Korean and Hawaiian Poke, oh and the obligatory In-N-Out Burger. Also drove to Vegas, Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon.

It seems my skin is used to the Florida humidity because it got so dried out over there.

 

[BMBiology]

Just sightseeing--the beaches, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood, drove up the Angeles Crest Hwy, and tried out many restaurants including a few ethnic ones like Vietnamese, Korean and Hawaiian Poke, oh and the obligatory In-N-Out Burger. Also drove to Vegas, Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon.

It seems my skin is used to the Florida humidity because it got so dried out over there.

That is cool. Anybody who is interested in visiting LA/Southern California, I would recommend:

1. Skip Hollywood
2. Go hiking in Griffith Park/Malibu
3. Use Uber to get around
4. Go to a beach in Orange County like Laguna/Newport Beach (less traffic, nicer too)
5. Take a train up to Santa Barbara and go wine tasting
6. Go to the Getty
7. Eat as much as you can

 

[Momus]

It is all about timing. You have to leave at the right time. West LA traffic is bad but traffic in OC and SD is not bad all. Use Uber when you can.


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#1 reason why I won't live in LA. 15 mins drive becomes 2h if you hit the wrong exit...

SD has some traffic but it's always moving, so you don't really feel you are stuck in 1-2 mile road for 2 hours.

 

[headortail]

I think OC/SD offer a better quality of life than LA. Less traffic. Closer to the beach. Better schools. Cheaper housing too (if you exclude the bad areas of LA, LA is way more expensive).
If you are in your 20s and single then maybe LA would be better. OC/SD tend to be more conservative than LA. Somewhat different demographic.

Housing in OC does tend to be cheaper than LA, but not by much. The trade-off is the job market is not as favorable... I regularly monitor Indeed, and within the past 3 months there are maybe 5 hospital jobs in the entire OC area posted. Compare that to LA... at least 10 times more. Keep in mind most job postings aren't even real (they already have a candidate in mind and just have to post for formality), so who knows among that 5 jobs how many were real. This is probably due to the high turnover in LA county, people come/move away/find something closer to where they actually live, but because of that, there are just generally more openings. In OC, even long commute wouldn't be as terrible as LAC, so once people are able to secure a spot, good luck waiting for another 30 years for them to retire. OC is nice to live in, you're never >half hour away from the beach, the food scene is one of the best in the country, but be ready to commute because there just aren't jobs.

Again, if you're single/coupled with no plans of having kids, it's probably ok to move to these areas and just enjoy life with no obligations. But for families with kids, I think you get terribly little for your money. I imagine a family of 4 being crammed in a 1200 sq ft house and I cringe; and that's probably what the future holds for me with a dual household annual income of $200k. Consider these things before you settle in this area permanently. Me personally, I would never have settled here if it wasn't for family. For me, the best place to be is a mid-size city with an easily accessible airport (Redding is good and all, but no way because the nearest major airport is at least a 2 hr drive). If you're bored, just hop on and you can be anywhere in the WORLD in half a day. Sure, the beach being half hour away is nice; the real question is whether you'll have the time to enjoy it, or will you be working OT to pay that $500k mortgage for your 1200 sq ft, and by the end of the day you're just too tired to do anything at all... A friend of mine regularly drives 1 hr each way to work a 5 hr shift (retail). It's a terrible prospect.

 

[pezdispenser]

For me, the best place to be is a mid-size city with an easily accessible airport (Redding is good and all, but no way because the nearest major airport is at least a 2 hr drive). If you're bored, just hop on and you can be anywhere in the WORLD in half a day. Sure, the beach being half hour away is nice; the real question is whether you'll have the time to enjoy it, or will you be working OT to pay that $500k mortgage for your 1200 sq ft, and by the end of the day you're just too tired to do anything at all... A friend of mine regularly drives 1 hr each way to work a 5 hr shift (retail). It's a terrible prospect.

Yeah that's pretty much how I feel. I would rather have a nice house in a reasonably affordable area that I could comfortably pay off in a few years. So now I just spend my free time and money traveling to lots of places and it's refreshing when you don't have to worry about the bills for the travel expenses or the mortgage, etc back home. Living in a HCOL area sounds like you would get stuck on the hamster wheel trying to make ends meet or to make more and move up in lifestyle.

 

[hye345]

Again, if you're single/coupled with no plans of having kids, it's probably ok to move to these areas and just enjoy life with no obligations. But for families with kids, I think you get terribly little for your money. I imagine a family of 4 being crammed in a 1200 sq ft house and I cringe; and that's probably what the future holds for me with a dual household annual income of $200k. Consider these things before you settle in this area permanently. Me personally, I would never have settled here if it wasn't for family. For me, the best place to be is a mid-size city with an easily accessible airport (Redding is good and all, but no way because the nearest major airport is at least a 2 hr drive). If you're bored, just hop on and you can be anywhere in the WORLD in half a day. Sure, the beach being half hour away is nice; the real question is whether you'll have the time to enjoy it, or will you be working OT to pay that $500k mortgage for your 1200 sq ft, and by the end of the day you're just too tired to do anything at all... A friend of mine regularly drives 1 hr each way to work a 5 hr shift (retail). It's a terrible prospect.

Somewhat nit-picking, but I'd avoid Redding... I live maybe 90 minutes south of Redding, don't think I've heard one nice thing about it, aside from the natural beauty of the surroundings. Try Chico: about the same sized city, COL is a bit higher, but there's so much more to do, you're closer to Sacramento (90 minutes), weather isn't nearly as bad, and Chico State brings in fresh energy.

 

[headortail]

Somewhat nit-picking, but I'd avoid Redding... I live maybe 90 minutes south of Redding, don't think I've heard one nice thing about it, aside from the natural beauty of the surroundings. Try Chico: about the same sized city, COL is a bit higher, but there's so much more to do, you're closer to Sacramento (90 minutes), weather isn't nearly as bad, and Chico State brings in fresh energy.

Never been to Chico, but one of my coworkers went to Chico State and loved it there! I've only ever stayed in Redding for a few days here and there, so not familiar with the problems it has for sure. I think the Central Valley (link for those unfamiliar) "metro" areas in CA is a great place to be, if you can handle the weather. Nice wage, good housing price, and as long as you're near a major airport getting around isn't such a pain in the behind. Although, I'm sure when people look to move to CA, they're thinking of SF/LA/SD or anywhere along the coast and not, like, Fresno I wouldn't mind it

 

[babybull]

i live in SD. AMA

jk about the AMA. i really love the weather here though.

 

[Amphetamine Salts]

i live in SD. AMA

jk about the AMA. i really love the weather here though.

how hard is it to get a retail gig in san diego?