School ranking vs job market?

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elainedinomite

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Hello all, please bear with my background intro to get a better picture for some serious opinions. I am extremely confused with deciding on a pharmacy school. I was accepted to several schools in Sountern CA from LA areas. My husband is currently a new licensed attorney here and opportunities are opening up to him. We have 2 young children. As of right now he can cover all of our expenses however I was also accepted to the best school on my list back in Texas. Basically rank 70 vs 31. Both of their NAPLEX & Stateboard exam are above 90% however the one in Texas is 50% cheaper in tuition but the job market in Texas isnt great. If I intend to move back to LA after school and become long distance relationship with my husband will this workout finding a job and is it worth the long distance? Please shed me some light on finding rotations/ jobs out of state. Thank you so much

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School rankings don't matter in pharmacy. You won't find full time work in Socal when you graduate anyway. If the job market in Texas isn't great then how would LA be any better? Don't do long distance, that sounds awful. I would skip pharmacy school altogether, there's just no jobs and no reward. Why put yourself through all that to end up with no job and tons of debt?
 
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Based on your post I don't think it's a good fit for your life. High tuition or a long distance relationship from your family only to be rewarded with a grim job outlook? I wouldn't recommend this career path to anyone in its present state and your situation only further complicates this decision.
 
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You have two young children with your spouse who just got a big shot lawyer job in sunny CA, and can cover all of your bills, and you're considering 4 years of a long distance marriage, going into further student loan debt, and losing those years with your CHILDREN to go to pharmacy school in TEXAS?!

This has to be a joke.

If it's not, re-evaluate your life goals.
 
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Choose the school that costs less if it still has good naplex scores.
 
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OP did you see this on the news? Please tell us why you would want to enter this awful profession. If you are lucky to even get a job, then 80% chance it will be a retail job like this but with even worse work conditions in 4 years.

 
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School rankings don't matter in pharmacy. You won't find full time work in Socal when you graduate anyway. If the job market in Texas isn't great then how would LA be any better? Don't do long distance, that sounds awful. I would skip pharmacy school altogether, there's just no jobs and no reward. Why put yourself through all that to end up with no job and tons of debt?
Thank you for your comments. Honestly I have planned to only work part time once I graduate. And I’ve heard LA market has more demand where pharmacists have more jobs in the west but I may be wrong.
 
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Choose the school that costs less if it still has good naplex scores.
Hi the school in Texas is cheaper with higher ranking but if I don’t intend to work there post graduate would it be better to go to a local school in LA especially with long distance ?
 
OP did you see this on the news? Please tell us why you would want to enter this awful profession. If you are lucky to even get a job, then 80% chance it will be a retail job like this but with even worse work conditions in 4 years.

Hi thanks for your comment I have seen this but I’m in it for passion to be honest I believe there will be changes in the near future
 
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Than
Based on your post I don't think it's a good fit for your life. High tuition or a long distance relationship from your family only to be rewarded with a grim job outlook? I wouldn't recommend this career path to anyone in its present state and your situation only further complicates this decision.
Thank you for your comment, do you think it will get any better by the time I graduate?
 
You have two young children with your spouse who just got a big shot lawyer job in sunny CA, and can cover all of your bills, and you're considering 4 years of a long distance marriage, going into further student loan debt, and losing those years with your CHILDREN to go to pharmacy school in TEXAS?!

This has to be a joke.

If it's not, re-evaluate your life goals.
Hi thanks for your comment, my children will stay with me and my parents as my home is back in Texas. I wanted to know if going to a better ranked school will help you land a job or going to a school locally is better?
 
Hello all, please bear with my background intro to get a better picture for some serious opinions. I am extremely confused with deciding on a pharmacy school. I was accepted to several schools in Sountern CA from LA areas. My husband is currently a new licensed attorney here and opportunities are opening up to him. We have 2 young children. As of right now he can cover all of our expenses however I was also accepted to the best school on my list back in Texas. Basically rank 70 vs 31. Both of their NAPLEX & Stateboard exam are above 90% however the one in Texas is 50% cheaper in tuition but the job market in Texas isnt great. If I intend to move back to LA after school and become long distance relationship with my husband will this workout finding a job and is it worth the long distance? Please shed me some light on finding rotations/ jobs out of state. Thank you so much
Texas actually has better job market than CA. Also, Texas just passed a legislation on PBM control which got Texas pharmacy world very hyped up. If I were you, if you HAD to go to pharma school, my first suggestion is, DON'T DO IT! My second suggestion is DO NOT DO IT!
 
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Than

Thank you for your comment, do you think it will get any better by the time I graduate?
Honestly it will not. The profession has been sliding in a negative direction for years. I think given the circumstances you're describing it's going to be extremely hard to find anything part time or even prn. There unfortunately are just not a lot of jobs and the return on investment is low. Are you planning to pay out of pocket or with loans? If you can afford to pay then great for you since you won't have the financial burden on top of things but it's still a lot.

But just point blank the market is not going to improve any time soon. There are just too many new pharmacists coming up and not enough jobs
 
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Thank you for your comments. Honestly I have planned to only work part time once I graduate. And I’ve heard LA market has more demand where pharmacists have more jobs in the west but I may be wrong.

Yes - you are in fact wrong..
 
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Hi thanks for your comment I have seen this but I’m in it for passion to be honest I believe there will be changes in the near future


There is no passion left here. Trust us when we are simply saying - it’s terrible, there is nothing to be passionate about, one out of 1000 people actually appreciate the work we do. If you want to ruin your quality of life that’s up to you but don’t buy into the “feel good” words of following your passion.
 
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Hello all, please bear with my background intro to get a better picture for some serious opinions. I am extremely confused with deciding on a pharmacy school. I was accepted to several schools in Sountern CA from LA areas. My husband is currently a new licensed attorney here and opportunities are opening up to him. We have 2 young children. As of right now he can cover all of our expenses however I was also accepted to the best school on my list back in Texas. Basically rank 70 vs 31. Both of their NAPLEX & Stateboard exam are above 90% however the one in Texas is 50% cheaper in tuition but the job market in Texas isnt great. If I intend to move back to LA after school and become long distance relationship with my husband will this workout finding a job and is it worth the long distance? Please shed me some light on finding rotations/ jobs out of state. Thank you so much
Do not jeopardize your husband's legal career and more importantly YOUR MARRIAGE for pharmacy school, especially when you plan on only working part-time after your graduate. Degrees in general aren't worth as much as what they used to be, and this goes double with the PharmD
 
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Thank you for your comments. Honestly I have planned to only work part time once I graduate. And I’ve heard LA market has more demand where pharmacists have more jobs in the west but I may be wrong.

Whoever you heard this from is a terrible liar. Did you hear this from a pharmacy school?? I know someone in LA who got her hours cut from 40 to 20 per week back in 2013. The job market was that bad 8 freaking years ago when they were paying $62+/hr. It gets worse every year without fail and I guarantee it will be worse in 2025.

Hi thanks for your comment I have seen this but I’m in it for passion to be honest I believe there will be changes in the near future

Passion for what? What does this even mean?? You are correct, there will be changes in the near future and I can tell you exactly what they are: more hours cut (pharmacist and tech), more workload, less pay, more stress, higher chance of killing someone, less pay, and less jobs than today.

Listen to other posters. Your marriage will be in jeopardy if you do this. Your kids need you and you want to abandon them for 4 years?? For what? "Passion"?? Please stop thinking about yourself and your passion and start thinking about what's best for your family. You will become an enormous burden to them both emotionally and financially if you go to pharmacy school.
 
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Hi thanks for your comment I have seen this but I’m in it for passion to be honest I believe there will be changes in the near future
Your beliefs are misguided.
 
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First of all: don’t do it. The only good choice is not doing pharmacy school. Literally do anything but pharmacy school.

Job outlook is only getting worse. Workload is only getting worse. Pay is only getting worse. Why would you do this to yourself?
 
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If you only want to work part time, why not become a pharmacy tech? When you consider their general increase in value with the pharmacists general decline and once you consider the 200k tuition savings and four years of opportunity cost, you will probably come out way ahead.
 
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LA is a complete wasteland when it comes to pharmacist jobs. I've known several who ended up buying homes and starting families out of state or in the boonies of California due to the lack of jobs in Southern California.
 
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If you only want to work part time, why not become a pharmacy tech? When you consider their general increase in value with the pharmacists general decline and once you consider the 200k tuition savings and four years of opportunity cost, you will probably come out way ahead.

This is great advice - be a pharmacy tech and walk away when you want to.

And - lol at the Fauci avatar! 🤣
 
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If you only want to work part time, why not become a pharmacy tech? When you consider their general increase in value with the pharmacists general decline and once you consider the 200k tuition savings and four years of opportunity cost, you will probably come out way ahead.

Agreed, techs are in high demand and they can work wherever they want. OP should work in a hospital as a tech and make $20-30/hr. No debt, no 4 years away from family.
 
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You have two young children with your spouse who just got a big shot lawyer job in sunny CA, and can cover all of your bills, and you're considering 4 years of a long distance marriage, going into further student loan debt, and losing those years with your CHILDREN to go to pharmacy school in TEXAS?!

This has to be a joke.

If it's not, re-evaluate your life goals.
reminds me of this other poster who wants her husband to give up a nice tech job in SF to move to the midwest because she couldn't find a job in SF even though she doesn't even plan to stay in pharmacy for long lol

I don't understand woman o_O:laugh:
 
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I'm convinced OP is a very good troll. No mother would leave her family with young children for 4 years for "passion" and be this delusional about the job market in southern CA.
 
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I'm convinced OP is a very good troll. No mother would leave her family with young children for 4 years for "passion" and be this delusional about the job market in southern CA.
I think I didn’t make it clear that my two children will be with me and my parents back in Texas so the long distance will be with just my husband.
 
I'm convinced OP is a very good troll. No mother would leave her family with young children for 4 years for "passion" and be this delusional about the job market in southern CA.

For the OP, personal ego > children > husband > helping others
 
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I think I didn’t make it clear that my two children will be with me and my parents back in Texas so the long distance will be with just my husband.

That is still horrible for a marriage.

What exactly do you mean by "passion"? Every pharmacist I know has one foot out the door as soon as their shift ends. A pharmacy is the last place any pharmacist wants to be.

What makes you think things will miraculously be better in 4 years? Things have gotten worse every year since 2006.
 
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That is still horrible for a marriage.

What exactly do you mean by "passion"? Every pharmacist I know has one foot out the door as soon as their shift ends. A pharmacy is the last place any pharmacist wants to be.

What makes you think things will miraculously be better in 4 years? Things have gotten worse every year since 2006.

this is a good question. What exactly is there to be passionate about? I suppose if you really loved the feeling of opening bottles....
 
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I think I didn’t make it clear that my two children will be with me and my parents back in Texas so the long distance will be with just my husband.
this doesn't really help your case lol

here's your husband, just got a nice job and excited to start a new chapter with the family...... and then here you are, thinking about taking the kids away from him for 4 years just so you can have a part time job afterwards

But I have to say, not all pharmacists hate their job lol so if you want to go to pharmacy school then just go to a school in california
 
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Hello all, please bear with my background intro to get a better picture for some serious opinions. I am extremely confused with deciding on a pharmacy school.

You can't have it all
 
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Do not jeopardize your husband's legal career and more importantly YOUR MARRIAGE for pharmacy school, especially when you plan on only working part-time after your graduate. Degrees in general aren't worth as much as what they used to be, and this goes double with the PharmD
This the advise you need to listen to
 
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What strikes me as funny is that the schools promote in their marketing that you can get a job anywhere and not be tied down to a specific location. They also love to tout that women can start and stop their careers to begin families. I guess with the schools using the old BLS data they should also use old pictures of "druggist" mixing herbs in mortars and complete the illusion.
 
For the OP, personal ego > children > husband > helping others
I’m quite confused, I think it’s unfair I’m getting all these judgements when I gave up everything even my scholarship in my undergrad to go to a nobody know school in VA for my husband years in law school. And I cared for my children during my undergrad so he can focus on his top law school at the time. So what takes people 4 years took me as a mother 6 years. And now after he has passed his bar settled with his new opportunities I wanted to fulfill my dream is too much to ask for? After the 8 years I’ve postponed in my dream for his?? :( how unfair it is for women like us.
 
I’m quite confused, I think it’s unfair I’m getting all these judgements when I gave up everything even my scholarship in my undergrad to go to a nobody know school in VA for my husband years in law school. And I cared for my children during my undergrad so he can focus on his top law school at the time. So what takes people 4 years took me as a mother 6 years. And now after he has passed his bar settled with his new opportunities I wanted to fulfill my dream is too much to ask for? After the 8 years I’ve postponed in my dream for his?? :( how unfair it is for women like us.

You're getting judgement because your family should be your top priority. You want to separate your kids from their father for 4 years because of your selfish dream. Your priority should be to take care of your family.

Your plan is to break up your family for 4 years so you can obtain 6 figures of debt in order to work part time in an area where there are no jobs. This will be a huge economic and financial burden.

Put yourself in your husband's shoes. You just landed a good job in a desirable area and now your wife wants to take your children away for 4 years, go 6 figures into debt, then work part time for $40/hr at best assuming she can even get a job. You go to work and come home to sleep alone for 4 years.

This is not an issue of gender. If you were a man with the same stupid plan then we would all judge you the same.
 
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Thank you for your comments. Honestly I have planned to only work part time once I graduate. And I’ve heard LA market has more demand where pharmacists have more jobs in the west but I may be wrong.
Do you seriously believe this? I feel pharmacy students are the new Qanon. Do they really believe their stupid **** or do they know it's a lie and pretend to believe it?
 
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You're getting judgement because your family should be your top priority. You want to separate your kids from their father for 4 years because of your selfish dream. Your priority should be to take care of your family.

Your plan is to break up your family for 4 years so you can obtain 6 figures of debt in order to work part time in an area where there are no jobs. This will be a huge economic and financial burden.

Put yourself in your husband's shoes. You just landed a good job in a desirable area and now your wife wants to take your children away for 4 years, go 6 figures into debt, then work part time for $40/hr at best assuming she can even get a job. You go to work and come home to sleep alone for 4 years.

This is not an issue of gender. If you were a man with the same stupid plan then we would all judge you the same.
Well I never thought of this and have turned down the offer but he blew it and told me to take the kids back because it’s stressful for him and it would be cheaper to study in Texas with the kids. I had to email the school to beg for an extension of my offer. And I’m stupid with no heart, okay.
 
I’m quite confused, I think it’s unfair I’m getting all these judgements when I gave up everything even my scholarship in my undergrad to go to a nobody know school in VA for my husband years in law school. And I cared for my children during my undergrad so he can focus on his top law school at the time. So what takes people 4 years took me as a mother 6 years. And now after he has passed his bar settled with his new opportunities I wanted to fulfill my dream is too much to ask for? After the 8 years I’ve postponed in my dream for his?? :( how unfair it is for women like us.
Look, if pharmacy school is really what you want to do and you're in it for "passion" then by all means do it in state in California where your immediate family is. Using tuition cost savings as a reason to go to a Texas school is silly when there is also the cost of having your children grow up without their father for 4 years. Keep in mind the CPJE (the pharmacist licensure exam in California) has far lower pass rates for those attending an out of state school than those in CA.

If your goal is to have a PharmD after your name, go for it but from an ROI perspective it makes zero sense. Who takes out a six-figure loan in order to ultimately work part-time?
 
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I guess with the schools using the old BLS data they should also use old pictures of "druggist" mixing herbs in mortars and complete the illusion.
They might as well use current pictures of a bearded "mixologist" crushing mint leaves in a mortar & pestle straight out of a hipster restaurant website :p
 
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Look, if pharmacy school is really what you want to do and you're in it for "passion" then by all means do it in state in California where your immediate family is. Using tuition cost savings as a reason to go to a Texas school is silly when there is also the cost of having your children grow up without their father for 4 years. Keep in mind the CPJE (the pharmacist licensure exam in California) has far lower pass rates for those attending an out of state school than those in CA.

If your goal is to have a PharmD after your name, go for it but from an ROI perspective it makes zero sense. Who takes out a six-figure loan in order to ultimately work part-time?
So staying local for the license is more important Than that of higher ranking of out of state correct?
 
So staying local for the license is more important Than that of higher ranking of out of state correct?
I don't want to sound like an dingus, but you are asking the wrong questions.
 
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So staying local for the license is more important Than that of higher ranking of out of state correct?

I already told you that pharmacy school rankings don't matter, and you won't find a job in LA today or in 4 years anyway...
 
I’m quite confused, I think it’s unfair I’m getting all these judgements when I gave up everything even my scholarship in my undergrad to go to a nobody know school in VA for my husband years in law school. And I cared for my children during my undergrad so he can focus on his top law school at the time. So what takes people 4 years took me as a mother 6 years. And now after he has passed his bar settled with his new opportunities I wanted to fulfill my dream is too much to ask for? After the 8 years I’ve postponed in my dream for his?? :( how unfair it is for women like us.

Well I never thought of this and have turned down the offer but he blew it and told me to take the kids back because it’s stressful for him and it would be cheaper to study in Texas with the kids. I had to email the school to beg for an extension of my offer. And I’m stupid with no heart, okay.

Well with this added information, I can see how you are feeling now.... you feel like you gave up the best years of your life for your husband and your family and now you want to do something for yourself. Also seems like it's your husband that want you to go to Texas. I would say just go for it then, but also know that it might be a little harder to get a job in California if you go to school in Texas. Also not sure if you've been in LDR before but its' tough. Especially I would assume your husband may work alot and you'll be in school

good luck
 
Well with this added information, I can see how you are feeling now.... you feel like you gave up the best years of your life for your husband and your family and now you want to do something for yourself. Also seems like it's your husband that want you to go to Texas. I would say just go for it then, but also know that it might be a little harder to get a job in California if you go to school in Texas. Also not sure if you've been in LDR before but its' tough. Especially I would assume your husband may work alot and you'll be in school

good luck
Honestly I didn’t want to lay it out like I’m asking for pity, but I’m at a point where I feel like my sacrifices was taken for granted and my effort was just overlooked so I wanted some professional experienced opinions before I make my decision that could forever change our lives.
 
If you are intent on returning to the LA area, I would probably go with Western University instead of University of Houston (why refer to them by just U.S. News rank anyway? that was pretty easy to look up) to maximize your chances of making connections in the LA area for a job, which also sounds like it will save you stress regarding your family situation. You should factor in whether being away will make your family as a whole incur other costs too, like the security of your spouse's job and opportunities in the area they already have. As pointed out, it may also be tougher for you to pass the CPJE and a delay in licensure might end up being a significant opportunity cost in its own. Be sure to factor in whether you can establish in-state residency/tuition quickly if you move to Texas.

In your replies it sounds like the family dynamic might be a little more complicated, like your spouse would prefer you to leave to Texas. That sort of thing sounds like something more personal to work out and decide.

I appreciate your passion for pharmacy as a profession. Despite other comments I think we need more people like you to become pharmacists. I am sure you can read about the job market and make an informed decision financially. I do agree it might be a lot of debt and effort to only work part-time in the end though.

The Los Angeles area is one of the most saturated with so many schools in the area, especially if you do not have connections in the area. I would not assume Texas has a worse market.
 
So the husband wants the wife and kids to leave him alone in LA, a place filled with many gorgeous single golddigging women attracted to lawyers. Does this not sound off any alarms to anyone??
 
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If you are intent on returning to the LA area, I would probably go with Western University instead of University of Houston (why refer to them by just U.S. News rank anyway? that was pretty easy to look up) to maximize your chances of making connections in the LA area for a job, which also sounds like it will save you stress regarding your family situation. You should factor in whether being away will make your family as a whole incur other costs too, like the security of your spouse's job and opportunities in the area they already have. As pointed out, it may also be tougher for you to pass the CPJE and a delay in licensure might end up being a significant opportunity cost in its own. Be sure to factor in whether you can establish in-state residency/tuition quickly if you move to Texas.

In your replies it sounds like the family dynamic might be a little more complicated, like your spouse would prefer you to leave to Texas. That sort of thing sounds like something more personal to work out and decide.

I appreciate your passion for pharmacy as a profession. Despite other comments I think we need more people like you to become pharmacists. I am sure you can read about the job market and make an informed decision financially. I do agree it might be a lot of debt and effort to only work part-time in the end though.

The Los Angeles area is one of the most saturated with so many schools in the area, especially if you do not have connections in the area. I would not assume Texas has a worse market.
Thank you for your very in depth reply. I honestly would love to devote all of my time to being full time post grad but my spouse has always wanted me to be a housewife and it took a lot of persuasion to change that. I always knew I wanted to be in the medical field however medical school is way over my league in my situation academically and time from family. My husband faced the same issue when he attended law school 4 years ago but he told me to follow my passion first before anything and I have worked as Pharm tech for CVS and it was my happiest time although not easy. However I think you have helped me clarified a few things. Thank you so much.
 
So the husband wants the wife and kids to leave him alone in LA, a place filled with many gorgeous single golddigging women attracted to lawyers. Does this not sound off any alarms to anyone??
After the school extended my offer he then apologized and asking me to not leave saying he was stressed and didn’t mean anything he said. So I’m just really giving it some thoughts as this will be a big decision that affects our 2 children and the two of us.
 
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