I have a question for you guys. I'm sure you've noticed the posts on this forum about the saturation in this field and how things are only going to get worse. Since most UT Austin pharmacy students have really good GPAs what makes you guys pursue pharmacy instead of medicine? I'm sure most of you could get in if you tried. I ask because I have also gotten into pharmacy school and I too have good grades and I was sooo happy about starting pharmacy school until I started reading all of the doom and gloom on the pharmacy sub-forum. It's making me feel like I'm making the wrong decision. And I desperately want someone to say something to just make me feel okay.
I'm sure I'd have no problem getting into med school somewhere, but being a physician isn't something that interests me. I've been a pharmacy tech for 4 years now and love my job. Sure, working retail can be very stressful, and thankless at times, but overall I enjoy what I do. Sure, I could make a lot more money as a doctor, a dentist or an engineer, but why would I want to spend most of my waking hours being miserable? I'm going into pharmacy because I love the profession, not because of the salary. Monetarily speaking, all I want is enough money where I can afford to buy a modest home, be able to provide for my family and take the occasional vacation.
I feel the same way that you do. Starting pharmacy school terrifies me because I'm afraid of amassing a ton of student loan debt, and not being able to find work after. I'm especially terrified since I'm almost 30, and this is my second career. I feel like I've already failed once, I really can't afford to do it again. I think having some fear is healthy, and will help you make good decisions during school. One of the reasons why I've decided to choose UT for pharmacy school is that not only is it a top-notch program, but it's one of the most economical. Even though I will be paying out-of-state fees for the first year, in the long run I will be taking out significantly less in student loans by moving to Austin, then I would staying in my home state, California, since not only is the tuition cheaper, but the cost of living is significantly lower. My husband and I plan on living very thriftily and avoid using student loans to pay for living expenses. Lately, we've been staying at home and cooking rather than going out to eat, which will help us get used to living a frugal life style, in addition to saving money now for moving and for school. I also plan on trying to work a little bit during school, maybe 8 hours a week or so, which will not only help pay for living expenses, but will give me a chance to network. I feel like if I get my foot in the door early, I will have a much greater chance of finding a job when I've finished. It doesn't matter what field you work in, it's not what you know, it's who you know that counts. I'm also planning on networking like crazy during school and attending as many functions and national conferences I possibly can. I'm not expecting to be handed a job upon graduation, so I plan on working my butt off to make myself the best candidate possible.