Should I get out while I can?

[meowjessica]

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I start pharmacy school in about a month in a half. I haven't paid tuition yet and I haven't signed any leases.. Should I get out while I can?

I keep hearing and reading about how I'd be jobless in 4 years or I'd have to work gradeyard shift in Montana just so I can find a job. But although the job market scares me, part of me wants to hold on. I have had my fair share of experience and a decent amount of exposure to the field. I've been working as a tech for Walgreens for half a year now, and had intern positions at Rite Aid and a small, privately owned pharmacy. I plan on keeping a position at Walgreens when I go to pharmacy school just to keep my foot in the door. I don't hate it, nor do I love it, but it's a career I wouldn't mind having for the rest of my life. Plus it pays the bills. I understand that I'd probably have to be a floater for the first few years, and I'm okay with that. I just don't know how okay I'd be with having to move to the middle of nowhere like Eureka, CA (just an example). I do live in California and I really hope I can stay here. Hopefully I can land a job in the suburbs?

And although I am not absolutely passionate about pharmacy as a career, I do not have true passion for anything else either. I graduated from a UC with a 3.4 GPA, and frankly, I don't think that'd cut it for an MD or DO program (plus that route would take longer than I'd like). Optometry and veterinary medicine are also on the verge of dying (so I've heard), nursing is definitely a no-no for me, and I really don't think I'd even give dentistry a second glance if it weren't for the salary. I guess the only other thing I'd possibly consider is PA school, but that'd require me to throw away all my pharmacy experience and start over. Plus I hear PA programs are pretty damn difficult to get into and by the looks of it, the pay is about $10-20k less than a pharmacists'..

So I guess I need advice about whether I should get out of pharmacy while I can.. With no loans. The only thing I'd be wasting is my application fees and the year and a half of my life devoted to the career so far. My biggest fear is leaving pharmacy and being even more lost and hopeless than I currently am now. I don't want to toss away this opportunity to go to pharm school and wish I'd taken it. My family and friends say stick with it, but reading all these threads on SDN really put doubt in my mind. I'm torn between, "If you're good at what you do and try your best, then go for it," and "Get out while you can, this profession's a dead end."

 

[FistLength]

If you are not passionate about medicine, absolutely stay away. Medical school is grueling, and then residency is worse. Pay is also pressured in medicine. Granted, it is very unlikely you will be unemployed as a physician, but I think you would hate yourself for trying to go medicine if you don't have a desire for it. I can't tell you what to do as far as pharmacy is considered, but I can advise you what not to do with medicine.

 

[PharmtoCS]

I would also look at non-healthcare professions, particularly computer programming (very hot in Northern CA), engineering, finance, or business. They require much less student loans, pay decently, and have great job prospects. The pharmacist job market is only going to get worse, especially in California as the increase in supply exceeds increase in demand and 4-5 new schools have yet to graduate their first class.

 

[MybuttsHadouken]

With the experience you've built up already you have a good advantage over others who have little to no experience in the pharmacy industry coming out of pharmacy school. When you get out from school just be flexible about where you would like to work/live. As long as your flexible you shouldn't have a problem obtaining a job early on after graduation. Just live frugally for a few years, save up, and you'll be banking after those loans are gone and possibly will be able to move where you would like to work with the experience you have built up. IMO I wouldn't give up if I were you . Follow your dreams!

 

[fewaopi]

I start pharmacy school in about a month in a half. I haven't paid tuition yet and I haven't signed any leases.. Should I get out while I can?

I keep hearing and reading about how I'd be jobless in 4 years or I'd have to work gradeyard shift in Montana just so I can find a job. But although the job market scares me, part of me wants to hold on. I have had my fair share of experience and a decent amount of exposure to the field. I've been working as a tech for Walgreens for half a year now, and had intern positions at Rite Aid and a small, privately owned pharmacy. I plan on keeping a position at Walgreens when I go to pharmacy school just to keep my foot in the door. I don't hate it, nor do I love it, but it's a career I wouldn't mind having for the rest of my life. Plus it pays the bills. I understand that I'd probably have to be a floater for the first few years, and I'm okay with that. I just don't know how okay I'd be with having to move to the middle of nowhere like Eureka, CA (just an example). I do live in California and I really hope I can stay here. Hopefully I can land a job in the suburbs?

And although I am not absolutely passionate about pharmacy as a career, I do not have true passion for anything else either. I graduated from a UC with a 3.4 GPA, and frankly, I don't think that'd cut it for an MD or DO program (plus that route would take longer than I'd like). Optometry and veterinary medicine are also on the verge of dying (so I've heard), nursing is definitely a no-no for me, and I really don't think I'd even give dentistry a second glance if it weren't for the salary. I guess the only other thing I'd possibly consider is PA school, but that'd require me to throw away all my pharmacy experience and start over. Plus I hear PA programs are pretty damn difficult to get into and by the looks of it, the pay is about $10-20k less than a pharmacists'..

So I guess I need advice about whether I should get out of pharmacy while I can.. With no loans. The only thing I'd be wasting is my application fees and the year and a half of my life devoted to the career so far. My biggest fear is leaving pharmacy and being even more lost and hopeless than I currently am now. I don't want to toss away this opportunity to go to pharm school and wish I'd taken it. My family and friends say stick with it, but reading all these threads on SDN really put doubt in my mind. I'm torn between, "If you're good at what you do and try your best, then go for it," and "Get out while you can, this profession's a dead end."

It's great you're thinking about the profession with serious thought to the prospects (compared to most students you see here). It's hard to know what the future is like because it's nebulous and hard to grasp a concrete idea. You are right that the prospects are dimmer with every graduating class, especially schools that don't train you well and have limited opportunities for different career paths (private, recently opened schools usually). If you work in a pharmacy, why not ask the pharmacists directly for their honest advice and thoughts on the field? Ask as many pharmacists as possible because I get different opinions. Some (particularly the older pharmacists) say it's a great field, go do it. Others (generally middle-aged and younger) say you're screwing yourself. My thinking on why older, senior pharmacists are more optimistic is because they haven't had to look for work in a while (unlike the rest of us), the profession did help them have a good life looking at the tail end of it, and they didn't have crushing student loans and high cost of living so they will never understand what it's like to decide on pharmacy in our shoes.

I don't personally know the CA market, I hear it's bad though and a lot of CA students go OOS because it's hard to get into school there. Look at the employment stats for each school at graduation. Some schools provide this, others don't, but it's all hard to find for a reason I guess.

I wouldn't call it a waste. You know what retail pharmacy is about and can make a better informed decision. You won't get hit with a ton of bricks when you graduate, finally land a job after months (I've heard of years) of searching and when you start working, realize you hate the job. The knowledge from working in a pharmacy can also translate to other fields to like nursing, PA, MD, and even dentistry (i know dentistry schools even have pharmacology in their curriculum!). You're more familiar with the medications, cautions, regulations, and that helps you to be more competent and comfortable in those fields too. Your work experience is also an asset you can translate to for other jobs or programs and you can speak about it. Many prepharmers have no experience or anything, just approved loans, and 2.5 GPAs.

I would also look at non-healthcare professions, particularly computer programming (very hot in Northern CA), engineering, finance, or business. They require much less student loans, pay decently, and have great job prospects. The pharmacist job market is only going to get worse, especially in California as the increase in supply exceeds increase in demand and 4-5 new schools have yet to graduate their first class.

With the experience you've built up already you have a good advantage over others who have little to no experience in the pharmacy industry coming out of pharmacy school. When you get out from school just be flexible about where you would like to work/live. As long as your flexible you shouldn't have a problem obtaining a job early on after graduation. Just live frugally for a few years, save up, and you'll be banking after those loans are gone and possibly will be able to move where you would like to work with the experience you have built up. IMO I wouldn't give up if I were you . Follow your dreams!

It's not simple to tell people just do programming or w/e. It's also not simple to tell people to just relocate and do this and pharmacy will be great profession. Not everyone is willing to do those things (until things get really desperate). People change, want to stay close to their partner, be in a nice area, stay close to their friends in school, have to care for parents, etc. What people "think" they can do and what people "realize and will actually" do are almost never the same.

Definitely look into and research other fields and see what they do, what their routines, responsibilities are. You're blessed with the Internet compared to us old geezers, you can find so much more than we ever could. You can find out what other fields are like, ask around other forums like SDN. Ask DMD, nursing, MD, PA forums, and what they say. Ask your relatives/family as well. Or think about other fields too like finance, engineering, that you haven't considered. Don't be intimidated and rule yourself out; with training and practice, nearly anyone can become competent at fields they thought they would be bad at.

 

[kimchidoll]

Do you mind me asking where you're planning to attend?
As a pre-pharm student, I can tell you I've also been hit with a lot of objections. But as someone who is changing careers after 3 years and in her mid 20s from a truly dying field (journalism), pharmacy is a lifeline for me. There's pros and cons to everything in life and nothing comes easy, but I can see from close friends and family that if you're OK with a routine lifestyle where you have work life balance, then pharmacy is a good track. It's also a reputable profession. If you don't want to work retail, study hard, be at the top of your class and get into a residency. I know two people who graduated this year from Western U and got residencies at UCR and UCSD.
However, if your passion is to make money with as little loan as possible, then go into business. You need to be truly good at what you do to succeed in the field, but that's an option. Or an MS in Public Health or Health Administration since your experience in pharmacy wouldn't go to waste too much. It's two years and you'll get in easy with your stats. USC has a great program and has tons of connections in LA.

 

[PharmtoCS]

With the experience you've built up already you have a good advantage over others who have little to no experience in the pharmacy industry coming out of pharmacy school. When you get out from school just be flexible about where you would like to work/live. As long as your flexible you shouldn't have a problem obtaining a job early on after graduation. Just live frugally for a few years, save up, and you'll be banking after those loans are gone and possibly will be able to move where you would like to work with the experience you have built up. IMO I wouldn't give up if I were you . Follow your dreams!

That is the OP's main concern which is not trivial. You will most likely have to move to the middle of nowhere for a job, and even then, those jobs will be filled quickly. California is already extremely saturated with 8 pharmacy schools, and it's only going to get far worse once West Coast University, KGI, Chapman, CHSU, and Ketchum all graduate their first class within 2018-2019.

It's not simple to tell people just do programming or w/e. It's also not simple to tell people to just relocate and do this and pharmacy will be great profession. Not everyone is willing to do those things (until things get really desperate). People change, want to stay close to their partner, be in a nice area, stay close to their friends in school, have to care for parents, etc. What people "think" they can do and what people "realize and will actually" do are almost never the same.

I don't mean to tell everyone to do programming (although it is an excellent profession to enter right now), but I mention that and other fields because many pre-pharmacy students may be overly fixated on the health professions whether it is due to perceived job stability, parental pressure, and/or having already completed the prerequisites. I should probably stop sounding like a computer programming recruiter, lol.

 

[darknightzzz]

I start pharmacy school in about a month in a half. I haven't paid tuition yet and I haven't signed any leases.. Should I get out while I can?

I keep hearing and reading about how I'd be jobless in 4 years or I'd have to work gradeyard shift in Montana just so I can find a job. But although the job market scares me, part of me wants to hold on. I have had my fair share of experience and a decent amount of exposure to the field. I've been working as a tech for Walgreens for half a year now, and had intern positions at Rite Aid and a small, privately owned pharmacy. I plan on keeping a position at Walgreens when I go to pharmacy school just to keep my foot in the door. I don't hate it, nor do I love it, but it's a career I wouldn't mind having for the rest of my life. Plus it pays the bills. I understand that I'd probably have to be a floater for the first few years, and I'm okay with that. I just don't know how okay I'd be with having to move to the middle of nowhere like Eureka, CA (just an example). I do live in California and I really hope I can stay here. Hopefully I can land a job in the suburbs?

And although I am not absolutely passionate about pharmacy as a career, I do not have true passion for anything else either. I graduated from a UC with a 3.4 GPA, and frankly, I don't think that'd cut it for an MD or DO program (plus that route would take longer than I'd like). Optometry and veterinary medicine are also on the verge of dying (so I've heard), nursing is definitely a no-no for me, and I really don't think I'd even give dentistry a second glance if it weren't for the salary. I guess the only other thing I'd possibly consider is PA school, but that'd require me to throw away all my pharmacy experience and start over. Plus I hear PA programs are pretty damn difficult to get into and by the looks of it, the pay is about $10-20k less than a pharmacists'..

So I guess I need advice about whether I should get out of pharmacy while I can.. With no loans. The only thing I'd be wasting is my application fees and the year and a half of my life devoted to the career so far. My biggest fear is leaving pharmacy and being even more lost and hopeless than I currently am now. I don't want to toss away this opportunity to go to pharm school and wish I'd taken it. My family and friends say stick with it, but reading all these threads on SDN really put doubt in my mind. I'm torn between, "If you're good at what you do and try your best, then go for it," and "Get out while you can, this profession's a dead end."

What UC did you attend if you don't mind me asking?

Yes, california is fun and no one wants to spend 4 year of schools just to work in a middle of no where (no one knows if a job at this middle of nowhere still exists when you graduate, sorry I just like to think of the worst before I start something to see if i can take that).

DO programs take 3.4 GPA but most DOs end up being primary care physician and with obama care coming out, and DO schools expanding, the salary will drop. Being a DO you will experience the inferior complex as people don't even know wtf is a DO and you have to explain to them what it is. MD you will need higher than that for a GPA plus basic science research (silent MUST requirement) and rich EC.

PA does not offer you autonomy like it is advertise. You basically work under a physician for the rest of your career. Well, most of doctors are dicks and jerks due to stress. and yes the pay is only 60-70k and 80k capped.

If you still want to look into dentistry, go ahead and dig more up. I personally got DO interviews (5 interviews) but I dropped and didn't attend interviews because I think of the dark and long shadow of medicine without my true passion. I switch to dentistry (i didn't really fall in love with dentistry but its work requirements do for me) plus you can live in big city with dentistry (just lower salary) when you move out to rural area your salary will only increase (because of competition).


and to the person that keeps suggesting program software and engineering shet, plz stop it. there are many other healthcare alternatives other than pharmacy.

 

[Jbrl]

I don't hate it, nor do I love it, but it's a career I wouldn't mind having for the rest of my life. Plus it pays the bills.

Will you say that when you're pushing 60? Hindsight is always 20/20, but eventually you will hit a point where you'll question your life decisions and reasons for doing what you did. When you look back, will you have lived a fulfilled, personally meaningful existence? Will being a dispenser at a retail chain be enough for you? Naturally, that's only for you to answer. I know older pharmacists from both ends of the spectrum of regret and contentment, all of whom had the same basic thought. I've noticed that the ones who are happiest in retail are the family-oriented pharmacists who see their occupation as a means of providing for their loved ones. Job is secondary, and it gives them the flexibility they need while being that "good enough" you write about.

What do you love? Anything in particular? What's your current major? Do you have a Bachelors? You picked other healthcare professions as alternate careers. Why is that, if you are not interested in any of it? If you traded your pharmacy aspirations for a business degree, do you think you'd be any less satisfied? If there seems to be no difference, then don't go to pharmacy school. No point. You'll just be going through the motions for a doctorate degree with diminishing utility as we speak.

What I will also say is that, from what I've seen, most people do not have a "true passion -" i.e. something that, from a young age, they feel they were born to do. For many, passion will grow out of the combination of hours upon hours of effort, a propensity for the subject, and at least mild interest in it. The venture becomes either an outlet for self-expression or as a vehicle to connect with the world outside of the self, eventually becoming an embodiment of "passion." Bit of a tangent, so I digress.

One part that you didn't cover was how much debt you'd be in upon graduation. This makes a difference between heck no and maybe.

 

[meowjessica]

I would also look at non-healthcare professions, particularly computer programming (very hot in Northern CA), engineering, finance, or business. They require much less student loans, pay decently, and have great job prospects. The pharmacist job market is only going to get worse, especially in California as the increase in supply exceeds increase in demand and 4-5 new schools have yet to graduate their first class.

I'm definitely not interested in programming, although I wish I was haha. I can't see myself doing anything I have absolutely no interest in, no matter how high the demand.

Do you mind me asking where you're planning to attend?
As a pre-pharm student, I can tell you I've also been hit with a lot of objections. But as someone who is changing careers after 3 years and in her mid 20s from a truly dying field (journalism), pharmacy is a lifeline for me. There's pros and cons to everything in life and nothing comes easy, but I can see from close friends and family that if you're OK with a routine lifestyle where you have work life balance, then pharmacy is a good track. It's also a reputable profession. If you don't want to work retail, study hard, be at the top of your class and get into a residency. I know two people who graduated this year from Western U and got residencies at UCR and UCSD.
However, if your passion is to make money with as little loan as possible, then go into business. You need to be truly good at what you do to succeed in the field, but that's an option. Or an MS in Public Health or Health Administration since your experience in pharmacy wouldn't go to waste too much. It's two years and you'll get in easy with your stats. USC has a great program and has tons of connections in LA.

I am attending Western U. I cannot see myself doing business whatsoever.. But I just worry about the instability that comes with the first few years of working. I work at Walgreens and hear of some people floating around for 3 or 4 years, still unable to find a home store. I want to believe that if I try my best and that I am good at what I do, I'll be able to land a job, no problem. But the reality is that there are so many new pharmacists, there are bound to be plenty of people more desperate than me to travel the distance and work for less pay.

 

[meowjessica]

What UC did you attend if you don't mind me asking?

Yes, california is fun and no one wants to spend 4 year of schools just to work in a middle of no where (no one knows if a job at this middle of nowhere still exists when you graduate, sorry I just like to think of the worst before I start something to see if i can take that).

DO programs take 3.4 GPA but most DOs end up being primary care physician and with obama care coming out, and DO schools expanding, the salary will drop. Being a DO you will experience the inferior complex as people don't even know wtf is a DO and you have to explain to them what it is. MD you will need higher than that for a GPA plus basic science research (silent MUST requirement) and rich EC.

PA does not offer you autonomy like it is advertise. You basically work under a physician for the rest of your career. Well, most of doctors are dicks and jerks due to stress. and yes the pay is only 60-70k and 80k capped.

If you still want to look into dentistry, go ahead and dig more up. I personally got DO interviews (5 interviews) but I dropped and didn't attend interviews because I think of the dark and long shadow of medicine without my true passion. I switch to dentistry (i didn't really fall in love with dentistry but its work requirements do for me) plus you can live in big city with dentistry (just lower salary) when you move out to rural area your salary will only increase (because of competition).


and to the person that keeps suggesting program software and engineering shet, plz stop it. there are many other healthcare alternatives other than pharmacy.

I attended UC Davis. I have pretty much ruled out MD/DO as career options because honestly, I'm just too lazy for that and I don't think I'd get in anyway. I hear of PAs making around $90-100k around the San Francisco Bay Area, but that is still significantly lower than the salary of a pharmacist.. I honestly was considering dentistry for a while, but it occurred to me that the only reason I thought of it was for the salary. If the salary wasn't so high, I wouldn't even consider it. And because of this, I know it isn't a career that is right for me and won't make me happy.

 

[MybuttsHadouken]

They are all around 90-200k (depending on specialty). Do something you love for the rest of your life and not for the money. Money will always be around. Also don't restrict yourself with "i don't have a chance". Everyone always has a chance and when you start telling yourself "you don't have a chance" then you have closed the doors yourself. Everyone I know including myself have taken risks for our careers and it has always worked out no matter how long it takes. You need to believe in yourself more. Good luck.

 

[meowjessica]

Will you say that when you're pushing 60? Hindsight is always 20/20, but eventually you will hit a point where you'll question your life decisions and reasons for doing what you did. When you look back, will you have lived a fulfilled, personally meaningful existence? Will being a dispenser at a retail chain be enough for you? Naturally, that's only for you to answer. I know older pharmacists from both ends of the spectrum of regret and contentment, all of whom had the same basic thought. I've noticed that the ones who are happiest in retail are the family-oriented pharmacists who see their occupation as a means of providing for their loved ones. Job is secondary, and it gives them the flexibility they need while being that "good enough" you write about.

What do you love? Anything in particular? What's your current major? Do you have a Bachelors? You picked other healthcare professions as alternate careers. Why is that, if you are not interested in any of it? If you traded your pharmacy aspirations for a business degree, do you think you'd be any less satisfied? If there seems to be no difference, then don't go to pharmacy school. No point. You'll just be going through the motions for a doctorate degree with diminishing utility as we speak.

What I will also say is that, from what I've seen, most people do not have a "true passion -" i.e. something that, from a young age, they feel they were born to do. For many, passion will grow out of the combination of hours upon hours of effort, a propensity for the subject, and at least mild interest in it. The venture becomes either an outlet for self-expression or as a vehicle to connect with the world outside of the self, eventually becoming an embodiment of "passion." Bit of a tangent, so I digress.

One part that you didn't cover was how much debt you'd be in upon graduation. This makes a difference between heck no and maybe.

Hm your post really made me think.. In my mind, the only route that I honestly think I can look back on and be truly proud of is medical school. But I don't want my life to be grueling and miserable for the next 6+ years with medical school and residency.. especially if I want to get married and start a family young. But pharmacy isn't something I'd look down on or regret doing, unless I spend years jobless..

What do I love.. I honestly have no clue. I'm fascinated by surgery but that requires going down that long and arduous road of medical school and residency and specialization.. I majored in biological sciences from UC Davis. I'm not passionate about pharmacy, but I do have true and genuine interest in it. I don't LOVE what I do as a tech nor do I love the environment I work in, but I find the job keeps me entertained and I love how much I learn from it. My pharmacists I work with seem content, and my pharmacy manager seems to love the job. I guess it is what you make of it.

As for my debt, I am extremely blessed to have parents who are willing to pay for part of my tuition and so I'd imagine being WELL under $100k in debt myself. I'm sure this makes pharmacy school a much more appealing route for me than it is for others.

 

[MybuttsHadouken]

That is the OP's main concern which is not trivial. You will most likely have to move to the middle of nowhere for a job, and even then, those jobs will be filled quickly. California is already extremely saturated with 8 pharmacy schools, and it's only going to get far worse once West Coast University, KGI, Chapman, CHSU, and Ketchum all graduate their first class within 2018-2019. I don't mean to tell everyone to do programming (although it is an excellent profession to enter right now), but I mention that and other fields because many pre-pharmacy students may be overly fixated on the health professions whether it is due to perceived job stability, parental pressure, and/or having already completed the prerequisites. I should probably stop sounding like a computer programming recruiter, lol.

Pharmacy isnt the only field saturated these days. In 4 years computer programming can become saturated or markt/industry could crash at anytime. Just 6 years ago people were telling me Pharmacy was a booming industry and now look its become saturated. Every industry has its ups and down. When my good friend started construction science he was told by his professors that by the time they graduate they may not have a job because at that time the construction industry was low, but as it turns out 4 years later when he graduated the market is booming in the construction industry and he easily found a job. Also petroleum engineers today are getting laid off especially my buddies in big cities like Houston because the economy for oil is at its cheapest this year which laid off a bunch of new grads. So really no industry safe nowadays especially with the saturation of new grads produced from public/private/state Unis everywhere. The way the pharmacy industry is fixing the saturation is by lowering the admittance, and closing down satellite campuses (at least in my area).

Anyways throwing away all the work for Pharmacy just to get into PA school is a risk in itself. PA schools in my area are just as competitive as MD/DO/Dental/Vet schools and who would know how long it would take before you get into PA school. My friend had to apply twice with excellent GRE score, awesome resume/LORs, 3.7+gpa. IMO if you feel you'll have better job satisfaction/happier with PA then go ahead and go for PA. Since your in a program already I'd just stick with it.

It's great you're thinking about the profession with serious thought to the prospects (compared to most students you see here). It's hard to know what the future is like because it's nebulous and hard to grasp a concrete idea. You are right that the prospects are dimmer with every graduating class, especially schools that don't train you well and have limited opportunities for different career paths (private, recently opened schools usually). If you work in a pharmacy, why not ask the pharmacists directly for their honest advice and thoughts on the field? Ask as many pharmacists as possible because I get different opinions. Some (particularly the older pharmacists) say it's a great field, go do it. Others (generally middle-aged and younger) say you're screwing yourself. My thinking on why older, senior pharmacists are more optimistic is because they haven't had to look for work in a while (unlike the rest of us), the profession did help them have a good life looking at the tail end of it, and they didn't have crushing student loans and high cost of living so they will never understand what it's like to decide on pharmacy in our shoes.

I don't personally know the CA market, I hear it's bad though and a lot of CA students go OOS because it's hard to get into school there. Look at the employment stats for each school at graduation. Some schools provide this, others don't, but it's all hard to find for a reason I guess.

I wouldn't call it a waste. You know what retail pharmacy is about and can make a better informed decision. You won't get hit with a ton of bricks when you graduate, finally land a job after months (I've heard of years) of searching and when you start working, realize you hate the job. The knowledge from working in a pharmacy can also translate to other fields to like nursing, PA, MD, and even dentistry (i know dentistry schools even have pharmacology in their curriculum!). You're more familiar with the medications, cautions, regulations, and that helps you to be more competent and comfortable in those fields too. Your work experience is also an asset you can translate to for other jobs or programs and you can speak about it. Many prepharmers have no experience or anything, just approved loans, and 2.5 GPAs.





It's not simple to tell people just do programming or w/e. It's also not simple to tell people to just relocate and do this and pharmacy will be great profession. Not everyone is willing to do those things (until things get really desperate). People change, want to stay close to their partner, be in a nice area, stay close to their friends in school, have to care for parents, etc. What people "think" they can do and what people "realize and will actually" do are almost never the same.

Definitely look into and research other fields and see what they do, what their routines, responsibilities are. You're blessed with the Internet compared to us old geezers, you can find so much more than we ever could. You can find out what other fields are like, ask around other forums like SDN. Ask DMD, nursing, MD, PA forums, and what they say. Ask your relatives/family as well. Or think about other fields too like finance, engineering, that you haven't considered. Don't be intimidated and rule yourself out; with training and practice, nearly anyone can become competent at fields they thought they would be bad at.

Its very hard in todays market to have every lifestyle preference met because its not a perfect world. I never said moving would make Pharmacy profession more satisfying, it just makes you more marketable and in the longterm you'll be able to create more opportunities for more competitive job positions saved for the more experienced. In turn you'll have a greater chance at landing the dream job in your dream location. Alot of my peers "knew/realized" they had to relocate for job opportunity. Most relocated to mid-large cities. Its just reality.

Sometime you have to build up experience/resume to be able to obtain your dream job/position/company. It may be difficult to relocate for 1-2 years but once you've built solid skills and a resume the OP will basically be able to work anywhere for whatever company vs a new grad (with 0 experience as a real pharmacist). Also people dont always get hired by the company they want, or the company will relocate them to their location. Its what you make of the profession and the sacrifices you are willing to make to get to your dream job. Nothing is guaranteed once you graduate (thats the reality).

 

[Jbrl]

In my mind, the only route that I honestly think I can look back on and be truly proud of is medical school. But I don't want my life to be grueling and miserable for the next 6+ years with medical school and residency.. especially if I want to get married and start a family young. But pharmacy isn't something I'd look down on or regret doing, unless I spend years jobless..

What do I love.. I honestly have no clue. I'm fascinated by surgery but that requires going down that long and arduous road of medical school and residency and specialization.. I majored in biological sciences from UC Davis. I'm not passionate about pharmacy, but I do have true and genuine interest in it. I don't LOVE what I do as a tech nor do I love the environment I work in, but I find the job keeps me entertained and I love how much I learn from it. My pharmacists I work with seem content, and my pharmacy manager seems to love the job. I guess it is what you make of it.

As for my debt, I am extremely blessed to have parents who are willing to pay for part of my tuition and so I'd imagine being WELL under $100k in debt myself. I'm sure this makes pharmacy school a much more appealing route for me than it is for others.

Med school is, like you said, a long and arduous road, and surgical specialties will require you to be at the top of your game. On top of that, you may have to defer for a year or two to get enough on your resume for med school applications and take gap years in-between to again improve your credentials for residency. That depends on your current experiences, but if you're concerned about PA school I'm guessing you'll need more prep/volunteering for med school and haven't taken the MCAT.

Have you shadowed anyone or volunteered at clinics or hospitals? Being fascinated and interested is one thing - concrete application is another.

Having little debt is nice.

 

[Jbrl]

Pharmacy isnt the only field saturated these days. In 4 years computer programming can become saturated or markt/industry could crash at anytime. Just 6 years ago people were telling me Pharmacy was a booming industry and now look its become saturated. Every industry has its ups and down. When my good friend started construction science he was told by his professors that by the time they graduate they may not have a job because at that time the construction industry was low, but as it turns out 4 years later when he graduated the market is booming in the construction industry and he easily found a job. Also petroleum engineers today are getting laid off especially my buddies in big cities like Houston because the economy for oil is at its cheapest this year which laid off a bunch of new grads. So really no industry safe nowadays especially with the saturation of new grads produced from public/private/state Unis everywhere. The way the pharmacy industry is fixing the saturation is by lowering the admittance, and closing down satellite campuses (at least in my area).

Anyways throwing away all the work for Pharmacy just to get into PA school is a risk in itself. PA schools in my area are just as competitive as MD/DO/Dental/Vet schools and who would know how long it would take before you get into PA school. My friend had to apply twice with excellent GRE score, awesome resume/LORs, 3.7+gpa. IMO if you feel you'll have better job satisfaction/happier with PA then go ahead and go for PA. Since your in a program already I'd just stick with it.

I don't think his point is that other fields aren't saturated. Rather, I think it's that pharmacy is more saturated, has worse projections due to schools opening (and a passive governing body), has a falling salary, and is a waning profession - which, in a lot of senses, is true.

To draw a [reductionist] analogy, lightning could strike at any time, and I could get hit by a car at any time. Sure, any market can crash at any time, but it's more about relative than absolute "safety" as you wrote.

However, as you stated, it is what you make of it. People who do their research, prepare properly, have realistic expectations, and don't bury themselves financially may do just fine.

With regard to lowering admittance and closing satellite campuses, which areas/schools are you talking about? It would be interesting if any pharmacy schools are actually doing this to an appreciable level.

 

[darknightzzz]

I attended UC Davis. I have pretty much ruled out MD/DO as career options because honestly, I'm just too lazy for that and I don't think I'd get in anyway. I hear of PAs making around $90-100k around the San Francisco Bay Area, but that is still significantly lower than the salary of a pharmacist.. I honestly was considering dentistry for a while, but it occurred to me that the only reason I thought of it was for the salary. If the salary wasn't so high, I wouldn't even consider it. And because of this, I know it isn't a career that is right for me and won't make me happy.

WesternU is an expensive private school and the pricetag is too high. I am applying to dental schools now and let me tell you, I don't love it passionately. What I like is the lifestyle and also get to learn and practice science and science in the making progress.

San Francisco Bay Area has monstrous housing price and to take in account of that PA salary could drop to 60-70k. Your GPA is competitive enough for dental if you study well for DAT. Do you have any research experience from UC Davis? I am coming from UC Irvine. For a GPA of 3.4, I believe you do have the academic ability to trump the DAT. 3.4 GPA is competitive still.

You should really carefully evaluate your chance. Although some people suggest you not to drop this pharmacy school opportunity but if you go in and find out the job prospects, your life wouldnot be good anyways.

yes, everyone goes into career solely because of money (for some less than their passion) it is not bad to admit this to your inner self although it looks bad on the outside.

anyways, good luck you are young, don't make a decision you will regret

 

[PharmtoCS]

I don't think his point is that other fields aren't saturated. Rather, I think it's that pharmacy is more saturated, has worse projections due to schools opening (and a passive governing body), has a falling salary, and is a waning profession - which, in a lot of senses, is true.

Pretty much spot on. Pharmacy is not only more saturated than many fields and probably has worse job prospects, but the elephant in the room is the monstrous amount of student loans many students would have to take out. It is one thing to get a bachelors degree in a field and be unemployed, but it is another to graduate with a PharmD with 4 years of your life down the drain and $200k+ in loans and still be unemployed.

 

[Frychicken]

I don't hate it, nor do I love it, but it's a career I wouldn't mind having for the rest of my life.

This part is actually what stuck out to me the most. It sounds like you're just being complacent and settling. Life is too short to just simply be complacent!!

The journey through pharm school and the rest of your professional career is going to be a total drag if that 's the case. And also, you might be underutilizing your full potential if you're just settling for something you're not entirely passionate about!

 

[GatsbytheGreat]

I'm in a similar position. I've also had many people in the field of pharmacy tell me that, "pharmacy is a sinking ship that you should get off of now." They complain about how boring being a pharmacist, how rude the customers/patients are, and how there are so few jobs for so many applicants. This is my response to those people:

If you are expecting to graduate from pharmacy school and for someone to GIVE you a job, that is a completely unrealistic expectation to have. What school of even program of study could possibly guarantee that? When do employers just hand out jobs? Getting a job in pharmacy is like getting a job in any other field - it requires hard work and networking. As for the people who complain about pharmacy jobs having lots of applicants and high competition, this is a problem that is not unique to pharmacy - it is a problem in EVERY field. Having worked in K-12 education, I know that we are great need of good science teachers in our public schools, but getting a job as a public school science teacher is actually quite tough. Having friends in nursing, engineering, social work, and accounting they all talk about how they are either currently struggling or struggled for quite a while to get a job. Choosing a career in pharmacy does not guarantee you a stress-free or struggle-free career path - that is an insane assumption to have.

Since the majority of the world lives on less than $2.50 a day, I view my opportunity to study pharmacy so that I can one day use my knowledge help others as a privilege (an expensive privilege - I must admit). Furthermore, the ability to worry about whether or not I will have a high-paying job in pharmacy is also a privilege. So, in my view, ignore all the naysayers - life's too short to listen to those folks anyways. If this is what you are passionate about, then you should go for it.

 

[MybuttsHadouken]

I start pharmacy school in about a month in a half. I haven't paid tuition yet and I haven't signed any leases.. Should I get out while I can?

I keep hearing and reading about how I'd be jobless in 4 years or I'd have to work gradeyard shift in Montana just so I can find a job. But although the job market scares me, part of me wants to hold on. I have had my fair share of experience and a decent amount of exposure to the field. I've been working as a tech for Walgreens for half a year now, and had intern positions at Rite Aid and a small, privately owned pharmacy. I plan on keeping a position at Walgreens when I go to pharmacy school just to keep my foot in the door. I don't hate it, nor do I love it, but it's a career I wouldn't mind having for the rest of my life. Plus it pays the bills. I understand that I'd probably have to be a floater for the first few years, and I'm okay with that. I just don't know how okay I'd be with having to move to the middle of nowhere like Eureka, CA (just an example). I do live in California and I really hope I can stay here. Hopefully I can land a job in the suburbs?

And although I am not absolutely passionate about pharmacy as a career, I do not have true passion for anything else either. I graduated from a UC with a 3.4 GPA, and frankly, I don't think that'd cut it for an MD or DO program (plus that route would take longer than I'd like). Optometry and veterinary medicine are also on the verge of dying (so I've heard), nursing is definitely a no-no for me, and I really don't think I'd even give dentistry a second glance if it weren't for the salary. I guess the only other thing I'd possibly consider is PA school, but that'd require me to throw away all my pharmacy experience and start over. Plus I hear PA programs are pretty damn difficult to get into and by the looks of it, the pay is about $10-20k less than a pharmacists'..

So I guess I need advice about whether I should get out of pharmacy while I can.. With no loans. The only thing I'd be wasting is my application fees and the year and a half of my life devoted to the career so far. My biggest fear is leaving pharmacy and being even more lost and hopeless than I currently am now. I don't want to toss away this opportunity to go to pharm school and wish I'd taken it. My family and friends say stick with it, but reading all these threads on SDN really put doubt in my mind. I'm torn between, "If you're good at what you do and try your best, then go for it," and "Get out while you can, this profession's a dead end."

I'm in a similar position. I've also had many people in the field of pharmacy tell me that, "pharmacy is a sinking ship that you should get off of now." They complain about how boring being a pharmacist, how rude the customers/patients are, and how there are so few jobs for so many applicants. This is my response to those people:

If you are expecting to graduate from pharmacy school and for someone to GIVE you a job, that is a completely unrealistic expectation to have. What school of even program of study could possibly guarantee that? When do employers just hand out jobs? Getting a job in pharmacy is like getting a job in any other field - it requires hard work and networking. As for the people who complain about pharmacy jobs having lots of applicants and high competition, this is a problem that is not unique to pharmacy - it is a problem in EVERY field. Having worked in K-12 education, I know that we are great need of good science teachers in our public schools, but getting a job as a public school science teacher is actually quite tough. Having friends in nursing, engineering, social work, and accounting they all talk about how they are either currently struggling or struggled for quite a while to get a job. Choosing a career in pharmacy does not guarantee you a stress-free or struggle-free career path - that is an insane assumption to have.

Since the majority of the world lives on less than $2.50 a day, I view my opportunity to study pharmacy so that I can one day use my knowledge help others as a privilege (an expensive privilege - I must admit). Furthermore, the ability to worry about whether or not I will have a high-paying job in pharmacy is also a privilege. So, in my view, ignore all the naysayers - life's too short to listen to those folks anyways. If this is what you are passionate about, then you should go for it.

 

[rasdent1234]

If you are expecting to graduate from pharmacy school and for someone to GIVE you a job, that is a completely unrealistic expectation to have. What school of even program of study could possibly guarantee that? When do employers just hand out jobs? Getting a job in pharmacy is like getting a job in any other field - it requires hard work and networking. As for the people who complain about pharmacy jobs having lots of applicants and high competition, this is a problem that is not unique to pharmacy - it is a problem in EVERY field. Having worked in K-12 education, I know that we are great need of good science teachers in our public schools, but getting a job as a public school science teacher is actually quite tough. Having friends in nursing, engineering, social work, and accounting they all talk about how they are either currently struggling or struggled for quite a while to get a job. Choosing a career in pharmacy does not guarantee you a stress-free or struggle-free career path - that is an insane assumption to have.

No one should be expecting a cake walk. However, if you plan to spend 2-4 years of undergrad + 4 years of pharmacy school +200k, it is not "insane" to think that you should feel better about your job prospects compared to certain other jobs. This is a time-consuming, difficult path, otherwise everyone would do it. Furthermore, it is not insane to think that the sacrifices you make and the responsibilities you take wouldn't lead you to fight for jobs like the Hunger Games. What can be said of the people who have been sending in applications all over the country, networking through organizations, and can only find per-diem work yet have to pay $2000 a month for their private loans for attending pharmacy school? I understand what you are saying but the whole "follow your passion" phrase is starting to become a little obsolete when you line it with the current state of the pharmacy field. I think if you are financially and socially savvy (going to a cheap school, strong connections), you should be fine.

 

[radio frequency]

What I will also say is that, from what I've seen, most people do not have a "true passion -" i.e. something that, from a young age, they feel they were born to do. For many, passion will grow out of the combination of hours upon hours of effort, a propensity for the subject, and at least mild interest in it. The venture becomes either an outlet for self-expression or as a vehicle to connect with the world outside of the self, eventually becoming an embodiment of "passion." Bit of a tangent, so I digress.

Make sure to re-read this part. It is so key. Also, I think it's great you are being realistic about job prospects upon graduation.

I honestly don't think MD or DO programs are as hard as they are made out to be (in comparison with pharmacy -- ie, both are difficult; pick your poison) and if you actually *are* passionate about that, it's worth pursuing. That said, pharmacy is a good choice lifestyle-wise if you don't mind being out of the spotlight, have few loans, and are willing to work in the middle of nowhere (though this could [obviously] change with new school openings).

Choosing a job based on passion alone is something crappy guidance counselors in high school advise. And I firmly believe these people don't have a clue. You become passionate about things by doing them. You may not feel passionate today about your career, but if you engage, you will grow to be passionate about it. So don't choose based on passion alone -- look at the whole package (as you are doing!).

 

[GatsbytheGreat]

No one should be expecting a cake walk. However, if you plan to spend 2-4 years of undergrad + 4 years of pharmacy school +200k, it is not "insane" to think that you should feel better about your job prospects compared to certain other jobs. This is a time-consuming, difficult path, otherwise everyone would do it. Furthermore, it is not insane to think that the sacrifices you make and the responsibilities you take wouldn't lead you to fight for jobs like the Hunger Games. What can be said of the people who have been sending in applications all over the country, networking through organizations, and can only find per-diem work yet have to pay $2000 a month for their private loans for attending pharmacy school? I understand what you are saying but the whole "follow your passion" phrase is starting to become a little obsolete when you line it with the current state of the pharmacy field. I think if you are financially and socially savvy (going to a cheap school, strong connections), you should be fine.

I think you make good points too. I certainly would like to have my job prospects be higher considering all the time, money, and effort I placed into undergrad and professional school. 🙂 However, I simply think that this isn't the case in reality - the job market is basically like the Hunger Games right now for ALL professions. All the time, money, and energy placed into undergrad and pharmacy school will not protect any person from the harsh realities of the job market. There are plenty of qualified applicants out there who have more experience, are more talented, have better connections...etc. So, if you don't have to fight tooth and nail to get a job, then you are very lucky. But, if you do have to fight hard, then just realize that you are not alone - plenty of us are struggling too (within and outside of the field of pharmacy).

However, I will stick to my original statement of following your passion. Given how tough the job market is right now for all professions, the only way, in my view, to pick a profession is to pick the one you are passion about. I have only one known shot at life/consciousness and to not engage my mind with something I am passionate about seems like a waste to me. Just my two cents.

 

[radio frequency]

@GatsbytheGreat, you don't sound like you've worked in the real world yet.

Passion develops through work. There is rarely a love at first sight with careers (or even real love, for that matter).

 

[darknightzzz]

I honestly don't think MD or DO programs are as hard as they are made out to be (in comparison with pharmacy -- ie, both are difficult; pick your poison) and if you actually *are* passionate about that, it's worth pursuing.

.

DO and MD and Dental included are much more competitive than getting into a pharmacy school now. Don't talk like pharmacy schools are competitive to get in (3.2 GPA bomb PCAT you will get in a pharmacy school)

make a trip to DO MD and Dental school you will see 3.4 GPA is still considered a lower possible range but they all need to take the standard exams very seriously.

pharmacy school admission is a joke now. Please don't make pharmacy sound like it is still competitive just because you are currently in it.

 

[radio frequency]

DO and MD and Dental included are much more competitive than getting into a pharmacy school now. Don't talk like pharmacy schools are competitive to get in (3.2 GPA bomb PCAT you will get in a pharmacy school)

make a trip to DO MD and Dental school you will see 3.4 GPA is still considered a lower possible range but they all need to take the standard exams very seriously.

pharmacy school admission is a joke now. Please don't make pharmacy sound like it is still competitive just because you are currently in it.

I'm not talking about entrance. I'm talking about the actual schooling (with which I'm finished). They're all unpleasant, difficult, and time consuming. And then, one grand day, you have finished your didactic learning and finally get to start working with real patients.

And yes -- you would need the stats to enter the MD or DO world, but for many of us, it wouldn't have been an issue.

 

[darknightzzz]

I'm not talking about entrance. I'm talking about the actual schooling (with which I'm finished). They're all unpleasant, difficult, and time consuming. And then, one grand day, you have finished your didactic learning and finally get to start working with real patients.

And yes -- you would need the stats to enter the MD or DO world, but for many of us, it wouldn't have been an issue.

excuse me, the actual schooling of dental and medical programs is still harder than pharmacy, many of my friends say pharmacy schooling is just memorization of the test answers before the test since all the information is given out on some pieces of paper.

Have you experience the schooling of dental and medical to make this judgement? if the entrance is much easier, the schooling is likewise. Clinical years of pharmacy is still easier than medical for sure. you can't recruit pigs to train them how to fly. you get the idea here. Likewise, entrance with low quality applicants will not yield competitive and high quality outcome.

lmao many of us would not have an issue with having stats for MD or DO world, who are you kidding? please do not forget you have to actually take the MCAT test too and actually have to score well not like some posters here having 3.2 GPA and 40% PCAT and others say they are safe. While in the MD and DO world, you need at least 3.5-3.6 to be minimally competitive and safe. This GPA is considered heaven GPA for entrance to pharmacy school aka you don't need to do crap and still get admitted.

Sorry, I had more than 10 friends in pharmacy schools and have witnessed pharmacy admission process through many cycles.

not to mention pharmacy labs in pharmacy schools involve you reading brand name and generic drug labels, measuring their mass, and grind them to powder. =_______= smh

 

[rasdent1234]

excuse me, the actual schooling of dental and medical programs is still harder than pharmacy, many of my friends say pharmacy schooling is just memorization of the test answers before the test since all the information is given out on some pieces of paper.

Have you experience the schooling of dental and medical to make this judgement? if the entrance is much easier, the schooling is likewise. Clinical years of pharmacy is still easier than medical for sure. you can't recruit pigs to train them how to fly. you get the idea here. Likewise, entrance with low quality applicants will not yield competitive and high quality outcome.

lmao many of us would not have an issue with having stats for MD or DO world, who are you kidding? please do not forget you have to actually take the MCAT test too and actually have to score well not like some posters here having 3.2 GPA and 40% PCAT and others say they are safe. While in the MD and DO world, you need at least 3.5-3.6 to be minimally competitive and safe. This GPA is considered heaven GPA for entrance to pharmacy school aka you don't need to do crap and still get admitted.

Sorry, I had more than 10 friends in pharmacy schools and have witnessed pharmacy admission process through many cycles.

Did you forget that there was a time when you had to have strong stats to get into pharmacy school like UCSF? Your evidence claiming that the curriculum difference is anecdotal and you have yet to go through any of the programs either. You sound like someone who judges a book based on it's cover. Don't discount some of the top pharmacy schools.

 

[radio frequency]

That's not what my schooling was like. It's not worth my time arguing with a premed/predental/undecided student.

:troll:

 

[darknightzzz]

Did you forget that there was a time when you had to have strong stats to get into pharmacy school like UCSF? Your evidence claiming that the curriculum difference is anecdotal and you have yet to go through any of the programs either. You sound like someone who judges a book based on it's cover. Don't discount some of the top pharmacy schools.

true, you are correct, but that was like comparing getting into UCSF pharmacy vs Havard Dental/med or UCSF dental/med. What I am saying is to get into a pharmacy school (any) vs getting into a dental school (any) vs getting into a DO/MD school (any), a pharmacy school still has the lowest stats with the most abysmal EC ever.

My experience is not anecdotal when it is more than 10 people who got in, and these schools arent even schools that just opened 5-7 years ago.

 

[rasdent1234]

Is there some unwritten rule I'm unaware of that having more than 10 people agree makes a statement valid? I can find more than 10 people that say Amway isn't a pyramid scheme (the ones who are on the top haha). I think we both have a general good idea of the rigors of each professional program but you underestimate some of the best pharmacy programs. No point in arguing over this further.

 

[Jbrl]

I think you make good points too. I certainly would like to have my job prospects be higher considering all the time, money, and effort I placed into undergrad and professional school. 🙂 However, I simply think that this isn't the case in reality - the job market is basically like the Hunger Games right now for ALL professions. All the time, money, and energy placed into undergrad and pharmacy school will not protect any person from the harsh realities of the job market. There are plenty of qualified applicants out there who have more experience, are more talented, have better connections...etc. So, if you don't have to fight tooth and nail to get a job, then you are very lucky. But, if you do have to fight hard, then just realize that you are not alone - plenty of us are struggling too (within and outside of the field of pharmacy).

However, I will stick to my original statement of following your passion. Given how tough the job market is right now for all professions, the only way, in my view, to pick a profession is to pick the one you are passion about. I have only one known shot at life/consciousness and to not engage my mind with something I am passionate about seems like a waste to me. Just my two cents.

One question that invariably crops up when people talk about passion is: what differentiates your "passion" for pharmacy from your interest for another field? Most of the time the answer is nothing that unique to pharmacy at all, or is not characteristic of the average responsibilities of a pharmacist. The follow-up question would then be: is there something else that also allows you to follow your passion but has better prospects, won't put you in heavy student debt (debt:income >1) for 10+ years, and/or is a more direct path to your desired career?

"I want to help people" - join the Peace Corps? Work for a non-profit?
"I like the science behind it" - get a BS in Medicinal Chemistry? MS Pharmacology/toxicology? PhD?
"I like the direct patient interaction" - Be a PA and work in Urgent Care? Physical therapist?
"I like the clinical aspects of pharmacy" - Get an MD/DO?
" I want to help treat chronic conditions and promote health/well-being" - Dietician? Nutritionist?

Pharmacy can still be a good field for those who evaluate their reasons for wanting to attend school for their Pharm.D in the context of the current realities. The travesty is that many people don't, or that other, less publicized reasons lurk beneath the mask.

"It's easier than medical school"
"Salary is much higher than other fields I'm interested in"
"It seems like an low-stress job and has great work conditions"
"Parents pushed me into it"
"The market for pharmacists is good and no different from other fields"

These aren't necessarily "wrong" reasons, but may be misinformed, incomplete, or ungratifying. If they are the primary reasons, an applicant should look into other fields that also fulfill the criteria, then assess whether he or she still wants to attend after looking into alternatives and the state of the pharmacy profession.

Did you forget that there was a time when you had to have strong stats to get into pharmacy school like UCSF? Your evidence claiming that the curriculum difference is anecdotal and you have yet to go through any of the programs either. You sound like someone who judges a book based on it's cover. Don't discount some of the top pharmacy schools.

I think it's undeniable that med schools recruit better classes and are harder overall. One need only look at the most selective medical schools in the country and see their average entry GPA/MCAT and acceptance rate in comparison to the top-tier pharmacy schools. Add to that the time commitment and the fact that you're put through the gauntlet at all stages of medical education.

100s of volunteer hours and EC in the form of EMT/scribing/etc. which may or may not be of interest to an applicant
Keeping >3.5 gpa and taking MCAT while getting a Bachelors
Step 1/Step 2 during school
3 years of grueling residency followed by Step 3
3-5 years of fellowship for specialty

 

[radio frequency]

I think my reasoning comparing pharmacy school and medical school is getting lost in here: you will probably be miserable during your didactic years, no matter which area you choose to study. So don't make the schooling itself your reason to choose one over the other (unless you have a valid reason -- like being older/starting a family, etc). They're all hard, and you'll probably dislike any of them. If you have the GPA (I did, and know others who also did), be savvy with your choices.

Here's the thing about residency (medical or pharmacy) and fellowship: while it's training, it's paid training. Sure, if looked at on an hourly basis, the pay is poor. And yes, it's demanding intellectually, stressful, and definitely time consuming. But it it's not a huge commitment when compared to your likely other possible trajectories in the job market that result in good outcomes for salary. If I was to do it over again, I wouldn't let residency deter me from medicine if that's where my heart was. It's just more work...but you'd be working no matter what. Might as well keep learning (and get paid) while you are working. Don't let this commitment deter you.

You'll be working in your chosen profession for a long time -- might as well invest in yourself and pick something that fits your needs ten years down the road rather than today's quick fix. Maybe pharmacy fits your needs long term and could leave you satisfied with your decision. Or maybe it doesn't. I don't think passion is a valid reason to choose a profession, but I do think you need at least an iota of interest in a subject to develop a passion.

I don't regret choosing pharmacy. It was right for me because it meshed well with my ultimate goals and my value system. Think about where you see yourself in ten or twenty years. Would you be satisfied working at Walgreens? Or do you need something different to be happy? A pharmacy residency? Or medical school?

 

[Jbrl]

I think my reasoning comparing pharmacy school and medical school is getting lost in here: you will probably be miserable during your didactic years, no matter which area you choose to study. So don't make the schooling itself your reason to choose one over the other (unless you have a valid reason -- like being older/starting a family, etc). They're all hard, and you'll probably dislike any of them. If you have the GPA (I did, and know others who also did), be savvy with your choices.

Here's the thing about residency (medical or pharmacy) and fellowship: while it's training, it's paid training. Sure, if looked at on an hourly basis, the pay is poor. And yes, it's demanding intellectually, stressful, and definitely time consuming. But it it's not a huge commitment when compared to your likely other possible trajectories in the job market that result in good outcomes for salary. If I was to do it over again, I wouldn't let residency deter me from medicine if that's where my heart was. It's just more work...but you'd be working no matter what. Might as well keep learning (and get paid) while you are working. Don't let this commitment deter you.

You'll be working in your chosen profession for a long time -- might as well invest in yourself and pick something that fits your needs ten years down the road rather than today's quick fix. Maybe pharmacy fits your needs long term and could leave you satisfied with your decision. Or maybe it doesn't. I don't think passion is a valid reason to choose a profession, but I do think you need at least an iota of interest in a subject to develop a passion.

I don't regret choosing pharmacy. It was right for me because it meshed well with my ultimate goals and my value system. Think about where you see yourself in ten or twenty years. Would you be satisfied working at Walgreens? Or do you need something different to be happy? A pharmacy residency? Or medical school?

I think the OP wrote that she wants to get married young and start a family. Still doable in med school, though pharmacy school would be easier for her.

 

[radio frequency]

I think the OP wrote that she wants to get married young and start a family. Still doable in med school, though pharmacy school would be easier for her.

Totally true. I've met a fair amount of medical residents (female and male) and fellows with babies, so I know it's doable either way.

 

[meowjessica]

I think my reasoning comparing pharmacy school and medical school is getting lost in here: you will probably be miserable during your didactic years, no matter which area you choose to study. So don't make the schooling itself your reason to choose one over the other (unless you have a valid reason -- like being older/starting a family, etc). They're all hard, and you'll probably dislike any of them. If you have the GPA (I did, and know others who also did), be savvy with your choices.

Here's the thing about residency (medical or pharmacy) and fellowship: while it's training, it's paid training. Sure, if looked at on an hourly basis, the pay is poor. And yes, it's demanding intellectually, stressful, and definitely time consuming. But it it's not a huge commitment when compared to your likely other possible trajectories in the job market that result in good outcomes for salary. If I was to do it over again, I wouldn't let residency deter me from medicine if that's where my heart was. It's just more work...but you'd be working no matter what. Might as well keep learning (and get paid) while you are working. Don't let this commitment deter you.

You'll be working in your chosen profession for a long time -- might as well invest in yourself and pick something that fits your needs ten years down the road rather than today's quick fix. Maybe pharmacy fits your needs long term and could leave you satisfied with your decision. Or maybe it doesn't. I don't think passion is a valid reason to choose a profession, but I do think you need at least an iota of interest in a subject to develop a passion.

I don't regret choosing pharmacy. It was right for me because it meshed well with my ultimate goals and my value system. Think about where you see yourself in ten or twenty years. Would you be satisfied working at Walgreens? Or do you need something different to be happy? A pharmacy residency? Or medical school?

It's not so much the schooling that I worry about.. Getting in is the hard part for me. I know I'm not good with personal statements or talking about myself so I generally worry about my acceptances to anything (undergrad, pharm school, jobs, etc). I know I am a strong and capable candidate in school but my biggest fear now is that if I step away from this opportunity I have at pharmacy school, I may not make it into PA school. Then I'd have to take a year off and try again.. And even then, there is no guarantee.

One thing that drew me to pharmacy was the fact that you could work part time and have a flexible schedule.. But now working in a pharmacy, the scheduling is one of the things deterring me from this profession. Pharmacies are always open.. You have to work nights, weekends, holidays, and one of my pharmacists told me that it makes it tough on her family life. She works on the weekends and works many nights and doesn't have as much time to spend with her children as she'd like. I chose pharmacy also because it was one of the paths that didn't require residency to land a job. I wanted to get married and have children at a relatively young age.. This is why I didn't go with medical school. But now with the job market as it is, I'd have to move to the middle of nowhere just to get hours...

In my mind, I feel like I should go with the PA route. Aside from an approximately $15-20k lower salary, PA as a profession sounds great to me. But the pharmacy route is just... there for me. It's easy to choose; I already got into pharmacy school (which was the hardest part IMO) and I'm set to move in a month. But I can't help but constantly worry about the job prospects 4 years down the road. As someone else mentioned, I didn't bust my ass off for 4 years of undergrad and 4 years of pharmacy school with loans to pay off JUST so I can desperately struggle to find a job working graveyard shift in the middle of nowhere lol. After all the effort it takes to become a pharmacist, it's a little unfair that people struggle so hard. For some PA programs, pharmacy technician hours count as health care experience so I'm pretty much set on my prerequisites. I also volunteered at a hospital in high school and earned 200+ hours there (if that even counts lol). I'm so tempted to go with the PA route but I don't want to throw away this opportunity I have to go into pharmacy.... Still lost T_T

 

[darknightzzz]

It's not so much the schooling that I worry about.. Getting in is the hard part for me. I know I'm not good with personal statements or talking about myself so I generally worry about my acceptances to anything (undergrad, pharm school, jobs, etc). I know I am a strong and capable candidate in school but my biggest fear now is that if I step away from this opportunity I have at pharmacy school, I may not make it into PA school. Then I'd have to take a year off and try again.. And even then, there is no guarantee.

One thing that drew me to pharmacy was the fact that you could work part time and have a flexible schedule.. But now working in a pharmacy, the scheduling is one of the things deterring me from this profession. Pharmacies are always open.. You have to work nights, weekends, holidays, and one of my pharmacists told me that it makes it tough on her family life. She works on the weekends and works many nights and doesn't have as much time to spend with her children as she'd like. I chose pharmacy also because it was one of the paths that didn't require residency to land a job. I wanted to get married and have children at a relatively young age.. This is why I didn't go with medical school. But now with the job market as it is, I'd have to move to the middle of nowhere just to get hours...

In my mind, I feel like I should go with the PA route. Aside from an approximately $15-20k lower salary, PA as a profession sounds great to me. But the pharmacy route is just... there for me. It's easy to choose; I already got into pharmacy school (which was the hardest part IMO) and I'm set to move in a month. But I can't help but constantly worry about the job prospects 4 years down the road. As someone else mentioned, I didn't bust my ass off for 4 years of undergrad and 4 years of pharmacy school with loans to pay off JUST so I can desperately struggle to find a job working graveyard shift in the middle of nowhere lol. After all the effort it takes to become a pharmacist, it's a little unfair that people struggle so hard. For some PA programs, pharmacy technician hours count as health care experience so I'm pretty much set on my prerequisites. I also volunteered at a hospital in high school and earned 200+ hours there (if that even counts lol). I'm so tempted to go with the PA route but I don't want to throw away this opportunity I have to go into pharmacy.... Still lost T_T

you can defer your admission for 1 year and apply PA.

 

[meowjessica]

you can defer your admission for 1 year and apply PA.

Can I really defer my admission? Tried searching online and couldn't find much (Western U)

 

[darknightzzz]

Can I really defer my admission? Tried searching online and couldn't find much (Western U)

you have to ask the admission office for information regarding this. You should have a compelling reason (shouldn't be hard to make up one like family emergency, you have parents problems u need a year to soothe). Most if not all schools allow this.

 

[PharmtoCS]

In my mind, I feel like I should go with the PA route. Aside from an approximately $15-20k lower salary, PA as a profession sounds great to me. But the pharmacy route is just... there for me. It's easy to choose; I already got into pharmacy school (which was the hardest part IMO) and I'm set to move in a month. But I can't help but constantly worry about the job prospects 4 years down the road. As someone else mentioned, I didn't bust my ass off for 4 years of undergrad and 4 years of pharmacy school with loans to pay off JUST so I can desperately struggle to find a job working graveyard shift in the middle of nowhere lol. After all the effort it takes to become a pharmacist, it's a little unfair that people struggle so hard. For some PA programs, pharmacy technician hours count as health care experience so I'm pretty much set on my prerequisites. I also volunteered at a hospital in high school and earned 200+ hours there (if that even counts lol). I'm so tempted to go with the PA route but I don't want to throw away this opportunity I have to go into pharmacy.... Still lost T_T

I would look not just at the gross salary of PAs but also the amount of loans you would have to take out. Pharmacy loans can easily reduce your take-home pay by $30-35k/year especially if you attend a private school in Southern California. Since your parents said they would help you with your tuition, would it be better to just apply that money toward a PA program so that you graduate with little or no loans?

Getting into pharmacy school overall is really easy nowadays due to the massive expansion in the number of pharmacy schools, which is probably the main part of the saturation problem. Admissions will become even easier once Ketchum enrolls its first class. In fact, many of the newer, less reputable schools are rumored to have trouble filling their seats.

 

[rasdent1234]

Since your parents said they would help you with your tuition, would it be better to just apply that money toward a PA program so that you graduate with little or no loans?

PA programs like Western, USC, etc are closer to 150k so while you are in better position to pay it off, I don't think you are much better off tuition wise. Average tuition cost seems to be in the ball park of pharmacy schools from some of the sites I've seen. The potential salary, flexibility, and time is a clear advantage but I wouldn't include tuition.

 

[meowjessica]

PA programs like Western, USC, etc are closer to 150k so while you are in better position to pay it off, I don't think you are much better off tuition wise. Average tuition cost seems to be in the ball park of pharmacy schools from some of the sites I've seen. The potential salary, flexibility, and time is a clear advantage but I wouldn't include tuition.

I haven't factored in tuition as one of the reasons to choose PA > PharmD. My biggest concern is just the job outlook of the field when I graduate in 4 years.

 

[RxStudentatUB]

I haven't factored in tuition as one of the reasons to choose PA > PharmD. My biggest concern is just the job outlook of the field when I graduate in 4 years.

I was able to defer my admissions to 2016. They did not ask me for a reason; the admissions office was surprisingly cool about my decision to defer. We apparently are not the only ones sharing this particular sentiment. Other students in their P1 year from the Class of 2017 and 2018 have willingly dropped out of pharmacy school to pursue other careers such as dentistry and medicine.

 

[meowjessica]

I was able to defer my admissions to 2016. They did not ask me for a reason; the admissions office was surprisingly cool about my decision to defer. We apparently are not the only ones sharing this particular sentiment. Other students in their P1 year from the Class of 2017 and 2018 have willingly dropped out of pharmacy school to pursue other careers such as dentistry and medicine.

That's kind of what compels me to pursue a career other than pharmacy. People who have already invested years of time and thousands of dollars don't even think the profession is worth it anymore. I haven't paid any tuition or signed any leases so I think I still have an escape..

I'm leaning towards deferring and using this year to gather up experience and explore options other than PA as well. I'm still lost but I think this year off would really help me realize what I do and don't want in a career.

 

[darknightzzz]

I was able to defer my admissions to 2016. They did not ask me for a reason; the admissions office was surprisingly cool about my decision to defer. We apparently are not the only ones sharing this particular sentiment. Other students in their P1 year from the Class of 2017 and 2018 have willingly dropped out of pharmacy school to pursue other careers such as dentistry and medicine.

yep admission deferring is very common, more common than it is expected to be. However, it sucks that if you use this year to apply to other programs, they ask you that if you are affiliated with any other health professional programs.

 

[rasdent1234]

However, it sucks that if you use this year to apply to other programs, they ask you that if you are affiliated with any other health professional programs.

True. Be prepared for those questions if you do decide to switch. Think about how are you going to convince them why they should choose you over all the other committed students. In other words, what sacrifices will you be willing to make to prove to them that you are dedicated and "passionate", not just for the job outlook. Remember the control over the job market in a few years is unpredictable. Who knows what jobs will and won't be available, just be content with your decision.