should i even bother....

[futurefarmacy]

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ill be going to fsu in the fall as a freshman and im an aspiring clinical pharmacist. But after reading a lot of forum posts from multiple topics it seems as if there are too many pharmacist.. Should i even bother trying to become a pharmacist? Does anybdy have an idea of how the job outlook will look for pharmacist in 2019 when i graduate with a Pharm.D. Im confused lol...

 

[kaydee]

dont put yourself down like that! go for your dream job! of course there are not too many pharmacists!! i have been told by so many people that the demand for pharmacists will keep increasing as the number of elderly people are increasing! there are so many old people being kept alive through medication and medical technology...and that number just keeps growing 🙄

 

[pharmschooler]

If it's what you really want, do it. If you're not sure what you want, think about it, do some shadowing of different professions, and then decide. We don't know what the job market will look like in 2019; it could be great or terrible, or somewhere in between.

The one thing you can control is whether you are going to study something you think you'll enjoy. If you graduated from pharmacy school and the pharmacy jobs didn't pay as much as before, would you still be interested? If so, then go ahead and study pharmacy! If not, start rethinking your plan.

EDIT: Don't ever do something because everybody else tells you it's a great idea. That's why the US is in this mortgage mess in the first place. Lots of people believed lies like "housing never goes down in value!," which is, objectively, untrue. Think of your schooling the same way. Anything "guaranteed" as a sure bet probably isn't. Do your own due diligence, which includes being skeptical of the job market. It's ok (and actually good) to worry, but don't let it eat you alive.

 

[futurefarmacy]

im not doing pharmacy for the money, its just a bonus. the reasn why i want to do pharmacy is because i think medicine is interesting, but i dont want to stick my hand inside of people and deal with guts lmfao. i posted this thread because i really want to make sure that if i go to school for 8 years, i will get a job.

 

[pharmschooler]

im not doing pharmacy for the money, its just a bonus. the reasn why i want to do pharmacy is because i think medicine is interesting, but i dont want to stick my hand inside of people and deal with guts lmfao. i posted this thread because i really want to make sure that if i go to school for 8 years, i will get a job.

There are no guarantees in life, especially not with jobs.

Also, I didn't point out the consideration of a possible lower entry-level pharmacist's salary to insinuate you are only interested in money. I bring the point up because there is the possibility the pay rate will go down. Of course, there is also the possibility the pay rate will go up. In other words, past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

[crazybob]

There are no guarantees in life, especially not with jobs.

👍

Do you go to college for 4 years expecting to be handed a job offer when you graduate? No.

 

[DrDrugs2012]

If you are a motivated, diligent, conscientious, hard working and talented individual, it doesn't matter what the economic climate is - someone will hire you.

 

[mustang sally]

If it's what you really want, do it. If you're not sure what you want, think about it, do some shadowing of different professions, and then decide. We don't know what the job market will look like in 2019; it could be great or terrible, or somewhere in between.

The one thing you can control is whether you are going to study something you think you'll enjoy. If you graduated from pharmacy school and the pharmacy jobs didn't pay as much as before, would you still be interested? If so, then go ahead and study pharmacy! If not, start rethinking your plan.

EDIT: Don't ever do something because everybody else tells you it's a great idea. That's why the US is in this mortgage mess in the first place. Lots of people believed lies like "housing never goes down in value!," which is, objectively, untrue. Think of your schooling the same way. Anything "guaranteed" as a sure bet probably isn't. Do your own due diligence, which includes being skeptical of the job market. It's ok (and actually good) to worry, but don't let it eat you alive.

👍 I like your analogy with the housing market. People tend to be sheep. Have your own critical thought process and you will be golden!

 

[NaOH]

If you are a motivated, diligent, conscientious, hard working and talented individual, it doesn't matter what the economic climate is - someone will hire you.

There are always openings for exceptional applicants.

 

[delano2000]

im not doing pharmacy for the money, its just a bonus. the reasn why i want to do pharmacy is because i think medicine is interesting, but i dont want to stick my hand inside of people and deal with guts lmfao. i posted this thread because i really want to make sure that if i go to school for 8 years, i will get a job.

The good thing about now and 4-8 yrs down the road, is that you have time to monitor the job market (so to speak). No one will ever be able to tell how the job market will be in 4-8 yrs. They would be speculating so it would not be factual. I also agree with the other posters, if you really want to be a pharmacist, then work hard to become one. If you want to be in health care but not certain as to what path to take, then shadow different professions to gain some insight.

 

[pharmschooler]

👍 I like your analogy with the housing market. People tend to be sheep. Have your own critical thought process and you will be golden!

Thanks! I agree; critical thought process is a pretty important skill. I wish it was emphasized more.

 

[chrisski]

There are no guarantees in life, especially not with jobs.

I'm not trying to be combative, but this is a poor sentiment to pass on to undergrad students. The reality is that there are guarantees in life (or near guarantees) If one goes into medicine, or even dentistry, there is a 99% chance that they will find a job that allows them to live a comfortable lifestyle and be within driving distance of there desired locale(with a few exceptions like NYC etc). Pharmacy does not have that, as sad as it is to say it. You are saying things from a nonsensical idealized standpoint. I know at least 3 unemployed pharmacist that would beg to differ.

Allow the OP to make a logical informed decision.

But like they said, if it is truly your dream, and money and lifestyle mean nothing, than go for it.

 

[aoselby]

Theres alot of posts on this site complaining about finding a job as a pharmacist..but honestly if you want to find out if there are any jobs look on websites like target, walmart, walgreens, safeway, smiths, albertsons, even local hospitals...the list goes on and actually see where they are hiring pharmacists, and see how many jobs are actually out there. there's alot. If you get a degree as a pharmacist you will find a job, you might have to search and you might even have to move to find a job but they are out there and always will be. I did a search not too long ago and was suprised at how many jobs are out there for a pharmacist right now.🙂

 

[owlegrad]

Theres alot of posts on this site complaining about finding a job as a pharmacist..but honestly if you want to find out if there are any jobs look on websites like target, walmart, walgreens, safeway, smiths, albertsons, even local hospitals...the list goes on and actually see where they are hiring pharmacists, and see how many jobs are actually out there. there's alot. If you get a degree as a pharmacist you will find a job, you might have to search and you might even have to move to find a job but they are out there and always will be. I did a search not too long ago and was suprised at how many jobs are out there for a pharmacist right now.🙂

Not sure online postings reflect reality, but I like your use of the alot.

 

[crazybob]

Theres alot of posts on this site complaining about finding a job as a pharmacist..but honestly if you want to find out if there are any jobs look on websites like target, walmart, walgreens, safeway, smiths, albertsons, even local hospitals...the list goes on and actually see where they are hiring pharmacists, and see how many jobs are actually out there. there's alot. If you get a degree as a pharmacist you will find a job, you might have to search and you might even have to move to find a job but they are out there and always will be. I did a search not too long ago and was suprised at how many jobs are out there for a pharmacist right now.🙂

I'm sure there are.

But there are soo many people who will look only at major metro areas and then quit looking. Even if there are jobs in other places of the state, they think they're too good for that. They're too good to live in a small town or in a city that people haven't heard of. They're also the ones who refuse to commute more than a certain amount per day. It's not because it would be a long commute. They just refuse to do it.

Also, some people refuse to live in certain parts of the country or in certain states. Even if there may be enough jobs, it's not good enough (for whatever reason) so they refuse to move.

 

[NaOH]

I'm sure there are.

But there are soo many people who will look only at major metro areas and then quit looking. Even if there are jobs in other places of the state, they think they're too good for that. They're too good to live in a small town or in a city that people haven't heard of. They're also the ones who refuse to commute more than a certain amount per day. It's not because it would be a long commute. They just refuse to do it.

Also, some people refuse to live in certain parts of the country or in certain states. Even if there may be enough jobs, it's not good enough (for whatever reason) so they refuse to move.

This. I love living in a relatively large city, but in four years' time, who knows? All I know is that $100k in Little Rock means you are doing pretty good... $100k in Northeast Arkansas means you are wealthy.

 

[pharmschooler]

The reality is that there are guarantees in life (or near guarantees) If one goes into medicine, or even dentistry, there is a 99% chance that they will find a job that allows them to live a comfortable lifestyle and be within driving distance of there desired locale(with a few exceptions like NYC etc). Pharmacy does not have that, as sad as it is to say it. You are saying things from a nonsensical idealized standpoint. I know at least 3 unemployed pharmacist that would beg to differ.

Citation, please.

I'm also curious why you find pharmacy careers interchangeable with dental and medical careers.

Additionally, what about my statement would your 3 unemployed pharmacy acquaintances beg to differ with? The part where I mentioned that there are no guarantees in life? I'd imagine they'd agree with that.

Please also tell me more about my nonsensical idealized standpoint. I believe pointing out that salaries can go down would indicate a less than idealized view of a job market.

 

[30Percent]

I'm also curious why you find pharmacy careers interchangeable with dental and medical careers.

They both have very similar pre-requisite courses with the main difference being only their admission tests. Some pre-health undergrads will consider all 3 choices when they are deciding on a career.
I know I did.

 

[crazybob]

They both have very similar pre-requisite courses with the main difference being only their admission tests. Some pre-health undergrads will consider all 3 choices when they are deciding on a career.
I know I did.

I didn't consider dental, but considered medicine at first. Then after looking into pharmacy and actually seeing right in front of my eyes what pharmacists do, I decided on that, and haven't looked back.

 

[pharmschooler]

They both have very similar pre-requisite courses with the main difference being only their admission tests. Some pre-health undergrads will consider all 3 choices when they are deciding on a career.
I know I did.

I believe that's where my earlier recommendation of job-shadowing or volunteering comes into play....while prerequisites are quite similar, the jobs are not the same at all, though they are all within health care. The similarities really end there.

Before deciding on a career, it's always an excellent idea to have a solid understanding of what your life might be like within that career trajectory. Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into and if you can handle it.