Thoughts on starting pharma job instead of Americorps?

[puahate]

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Howdy,

So i have a cool offer to work for a large pharma company. Culture seems laid back and the jobs looks fufilling. I currently have a position for an Americorps project that i am lukewarm about. I will most definitely be working more hours for less than 1/3 i would make in this pharma job, not to mention i am not even that excited about it.

I already have volunteering and other activities geared towards helping underserved popupations. Should I take the pharma position? Will i look like a shill? Anything i should consider?

 

[907914]

Howdy,

So i have a cool offer to work for a large pharma company. Culture seems laid back and the jobs looks fufilling. I currently have a position for an Americorps project that i am lukewarm about. I will most definitely be working more hours for less than 1/3 i would make in this pharma job, not to mention i am not even that excited about it.

I already have volunteering and other activities geared towards helping underserved popupations. Should I take the pharma position? Will i look like a shill? Anything i should consider?

Is this for a gap year? Are you applying this cycle?

I would say if you are applying and this is for a gap year job, then do the one that will both get you the most money and still allow time for going to interviews.

 

[puahate]

Is this for a gap year? Are you applying this cycle?

I would say if you are applying and this is for a gap year job, then do the one that will both get you the most money and still allow time for going to interviews.

Im applying for the upcoming cycle 2019-2020

Pharma will give me the most money. Scedule seems flexible but the americorp job will be even more flexible but with signifacntly less money.

A friend working for the company actually took a day off to study for the MCAT (actually asked specfically to do that). So i think ill be able to worl interviews in

 

[907914]

Im applying for the upcoming cycle 2019-2020

Pharma will give me the most money. Scedule seems flexible but the americorp job will be even more flexible but with signifacntly less money.

A friend working for the company actually took a day off to study for the MCAT (actually asked specfically to do that). So i think ill be able to worl interviews in

If you were planning on applying this upcoming cycle but I’m gonna assume you already have all of the service that you need and you’ve already demonstrated all of the service that you need. Your Year if you have the opportunity should be to save as much money as you possibly can for application interviews and moving. So if the Pharma job is going to have the flexibility that you need I would go with that job being that it will be three times as much money. Applicants like to think that money should never be discussed during the application cycle but money is probably the most important thing that you should be concerned with over this next year.

At my job I currently work 10 hours a week but I’ve been working over the last two months to bring additional work into the clinic for me to be so I can increase to 20 hours a week specifically because during the application cycle having as much money as possible is definitely helpful. So I’m in the same boat as you and that’s my perspective. You might want some other peoples perspectives, but the general consensus that I’ve seen on SDN Seems to be that you do not necessarily have to continue any shadowing or volunteering etc. during your gap year If you are traditionally working full-time. Because you’ve been giving your all towards being a napkin for the last four years, admissions committees understand when you want to give a year to yourself.

Edit: I meant applicant, not napkin - in case you were wondering.

 

[seanm028]

I've known quite a few people who worked for AmeriCorps/Peace Corps/Teach for America. Most of them felt like they were taken advantage of as cheap labor. I know it's a complicated issue and I'm not trying to open Pandora's box, but I always take pause before I recommend someone go into those programs. I think that if you're fresh out of college and have little to no experience, then they might be worth it. You get exposure to other cultures, experience working with the underserved, familiarity with federal programs, etc. However, if you already have some of that life experience under your belt, I would be very cautious.

Also, you say they have a flexible schedule, and maybe for your particular program that's true, but my (albeit limited) experience with these programs is that they can actually be quite inflexible when it comes to getting time off.

Assuming you already have a sufficient amount of volunteering and exposure to underserved communities, as you implied in your first post, I would recommend against AmeriCorps.

 

[LukaDoncicLuk]

If you already have enough service hours definitely go with the Pharma job. Rake in the money while you can- you'll definitely need it for the application cycle.

 

[puahate]

I've known quite a few people who worked for AmeriCorps/Peace Corps/Teach for America. Most of them felt like they were taken advantage of as cheap labor. I know it's a complicated issue and I'm not trying to open Pandora's box, but I always take pause before I recommend someone go into those programs. I think that if you're fresh out of college and have little to no experience, then they might be worth it. You get exposure to other cultures, experience working with the underserved, familiarity with federal programs, etc. However, if you already have some of that life experience under your belt, I would be very cautious.

Also, you say they have a flexible schedule, and maybe for your particular program that's true, but my (albeit limited) experience with these programs is that they can actually be quite inflexible when it comes to getting time off.

Assuming you already have a sufficient amount of volunteering and exposure to underserved communities, as you implied in your first post, I would recommend against AmeriCorps.

Thanks for the advice. I have a decent amount of experience (probably why i got the job) working with underserved populations. Right now i really just want to earn money and relax for a bit.

 

[LukaDoncicLuk]

Def go with pharma job then

 

[1996-]

im finishing a year of americorps. if you don't love it now, then you definitely won't love it once you're on the americorps stipend. i was lucky to have an fantastic position in an inexpensive city, working in healthcare/at a hospital with doctors, creating ties to other universities who are doing my type of work, and presenting public health research (even got 1 publication from it!), and my supervisor was extremely supportive of me taking extra time off for interviews. i work approx 35 hours/week. but whenever i spoke to members at other sites, some were held on tight leashes, coffee runners for 40-hours a week, and the drop-out rate for americorps is also steep (40%). theres a bit more accountability if they are attached to a major academic institution and/or are giving you your own project to manage autonomously (vs. doing "a little bit of everything").

it's only worth it if you are 100% sure you will endure the whole year; if you complete the year, you get a $6,000 educational stipend to be used for educational expenses, forbearance, and interest paid for your service year. i'm interested in public policy, and the school i will likely be attending is steeply discounting the cost of an MPA/MPP for americorps alums, so all-in-all it was a good deal, but the "americorps" name didn't help me during the admissions process.

it sounds like you're leaning towards pharma: do it. no one will think you're a shill for taking a pharma job, lol. played right, it can demonstrate your maturity and ability to function in a work environment. i'd recommend continuing some light volunteering on the side just so you have some more clinical/charitable stories to talk about at interviews (vs. pulling from something you did 1+ years ago). good luck!

 

[puahate]

im finishing a year of americorps. if you don't love it now, then you definitely won't love it once you're on the americorps stipend. i was lucky to have an fantastic position in an inexpensive city, working in healthcare/at a hospital with doctors, creating ties to other universities who are doing my type of work, and presenting public health research (even got 1 publication from it!), and my supervisor was extremely supportive of me taking extra time off for interviews. i work approx 35 hours/week. but whenever i spoke to members at other sites, some were held on tight leashes, coffee runners for 40-hours a week, and the drop-out rate for americorps is also steep (40%). theres a bit more accountability if they are attached to a major academic institution and/or are giving you your own project to manage autonomously (vs. doing "a little bit of everything").

it's only worth it if you are 100% sure you will endure the whole year; if you complete the year, you get a $6,000 educational stipend to be used for educational expenses, forbearance, and interest paid for your service year. i'm interested in public policy, and the school i will likely be attending is steeply discounting the cost of an MPA/MPP for americorps alums, so all-in-all it was a good deal, but the "americorps" name didn't help me during the admissions process.

it sounds like you're leaning towards pharma: do it. no one will think you're a shill for taking a pharma job, lol. played right, it can demonstrate your maturity and ability to function in a work environment. i'd recommend continuing some light volunteering on the side just so you have some more clinical/charitable stories to talk about at interviews (vs. pulling from something you did 1+ years ago). good luck!

Good thing about where i would work is that they encourage volunteering too.

 

[Dwight Snoot]

Go with pharma unless you think you need the Americorps to help you get into school. Also, its not like working in industry looks bad on an application it will still give you something interesting to talk about during interviews.