Walgreens Pharmacist Salary

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Ahah, so this is why you refuse to mult-quote!
Okay. I feel i owe it to the community here to explain why I am not a proponent of the multi-quote. Please moderators if you are listening, and i know some of you are, please take heed. By using the multi-quote it makes it harder for others to quote your SPECIFIC THOUGHT. there fore if I multiqoute some people and then someone qoutes me it won't be clear which exact thought they were replying to as the quoted response will be referencing multiple quotes instead of just one.

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Is that by doing PAYE or REPAYE? I wonder if I should've done that... Instead I refinanced $140k for 4.4% interest and I'm trying to go hard paying 3k to 4k per month.

Keep at it, you will be relieved when the loans are gone and the extra cashflow will be great. I can't imagine having a loan for 25 years, even if it saves money in the long run (if loan forgiveness even exists) it will still be in your head the whole time. I paid mine off a couple years ago and have one less thing to worry about. Now I think about what to do with the extra cash.
 
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Is that by doing PAYE or REPAYE? I wonder if I should've done that... Instead I refinanced $140k for 4.4% interest and I'm trying to go hard paying 3k to 4k per month.

I cant remember which one it was. I chose which ever i qualified that gave me the lowest monthly payments. Im paying about $700ish right now. Im putting in $1300 into other investments thinking i should be paying about $2000 if im on the 10 year plan.

4.4% interest aint bad. I think my interest was close to 7% after consolidating. But still i would think you can be much more productive with just paying bare minimum and investing the rest elsewhere if youre paying $3-4k right now.
 
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I don't personally know any unemployed pharmacists either. I know of a few underemployed ~30h/week but no unemployed.
 
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Keep at it, you will be relieved when the loans are gone and the extra cashflow will be great. I can't imagine having a loan for 25 years, even if it saves money in the long run (if loan forgiveness even exists) it will still be in your head the whole time. I paid mine off a couple years ago and have one less thing to worry about. Now I think about what to do with the extra cash.
I think it's best not to pay the loan off fast. It acts as a heduge against inflation and it also acts as a form of life insurance. Oh what's that you died in a car wreck? guess what you are off the hook for that 90,000.00 USD you owed the government. Now all your family gets all the cash you had in your bank account.
 
I know 3 unemployed pharmacists in New Jersey. Me and two others. All of us were previously employed by the same company. I used to make $50/hr. The other two made less than me. I've had four jobs in the $48-$50 range. Right now, I would work for free for up to eight months, just so that I could represent myself as being currently employed, keep my skills fresh, and avoid a big resume gap until the day when/if I am employed again. I'm going to keep looking for a pharmacist job until the new grads hit the market in May 2019. After that, I pull the plug on pharmacy.
Where in nj?
 
I think it's best not to pay the loan off fast. It acts as a heduge against inflation and it also acts as a form of life insurance. Oh what's that you died in a car wreck? guess what you are off the hook for that 90,000.00 USD you owed the government. Now all your family gets all the cash you had in your bank account.

Inflation is 2-3%, just about every student loan is higher than that. How is that a hedge against inflation?
 
Inflation is 2-3%, just about every student loan is higher than that. How is that a hedge against inflation?
bc inflation can be much higher. if inflation is like 15% and you have a static interest rate on the loan then?
 
By using the multi-quote it makes it harder for others to quote your SPECIFIC THOUGHT.
Yes and no. It's up to the replyee to edit the multiquote to fit their reply...kind of like what I've done here. But most are lazy or don't know they can edit quotes before posting their responses (mind = blown). So it's 'harder' in the sense that it's an extra step to delete what you don't need, but not that 'hard'...like people can't spend the extra 2 seconds to highlight and delete?
 
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Yes and no. It's up to the replyee to edit the multiquote to fit their reply...kind of like what I've done here. But most are lazy or don't know they can edit quotes before posting their responses (mind = blown). So it's 'harder' in the sense that it's an extra step to delete what you don't need, but not that 'hard'...like people can't spend the extra 2 seconds to highlight and delete?
I would rather spend the time making diff posts then make them work harder to reply bc i like reading replies. It makes me feel like i'm engaged with society in a positive manner.
 
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CNJ! Central New Jersey. (I won't be specific enough to identify me or my ex-employer.)
So, after May, what do you and your friend plan on doing? Keep applying? Get out of state licenses and move? Loans paid?

Unless you mind sharing.....
 
I think it's best not to pay the loan off fast. It acts as a heduge against inflation and it also acts as a form of life insurance. Oh what's that you died in a car wreck? guess what you are off the hook for that 90,000.00 USD you owed the government. Now all your family gets all the cash you had in your bank account.


That is not how it works. If you die, all your assets are first used to pay off all debts, then anything left over goes to your family.
 
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bc inflation can be much higher. if inflation is like 15% and you have a static interest rate on the loan then?

You think inflation will be 15% in the near future? Keep your loans as long as possible then, no one's stopping you.
 
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So, after May, what do you and your friend plan on doing?

I can't speak for the other two unemployed pharmacists I know, but I'll try doing technical or administrative work for a pharmaceutical or chemical company (I'm surrounded by them in central NJ). Basically I'd like any job in a company that employs pharmacists, so that maybe I can build some connections and get noticed and, after six months, re-apply for a position more appropriate for a pharmacist. I already spoke with people in the pharmaceutical industry, and they say it's a bad idea to work a job that's beneath me, but I also don't see how I could possibly get a high-paying ($75,000+) job when I don't have the skills/experience needed for pharma. I looked into doing a Rutgers industry fellowship, but I just missed this years application deadlines. (Besides, how would I get letters of recommendation from preceptors I haven't seen in over 8 years?)

I paid off my student loans already a couple years ago. And I have been living below my means for sometime, so I can weather a significant drop in income. I am licensed in many states already and am 100% open to moving. I have been selectively applying to jobs I'm qualified for. I've also talked with four recruiters. I'm still hopeful I can get a three-month position covering a maternity leave or some other urgent vacancy. If not, then I can be happy that I had some good years as a pharmacist, and move on to new things!
 
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That is not how it works. If you die, all your assets are first used to pay off all debts, then anything left over goes to your family.
not if your assets are all liquid my friend. aka fiat in a safe
 
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I already spoke with people in the pharmaceutical industry, and they say it's a bad idea to work a job that's beneath me, but I also don't see how I could possibly get a high-paying ($75,000+) job when I don't have the skills/experience needed for pharma. I looked into doing a Rutgers industry fellowship, but I just missed this years application deadlines. !

There is noting wrong working in different field but you have to make sure you play to your strength and with a path for success. Pharmacy as profession need people with multiple talents, but the skillset combination must make sense and bring value to the organization.

There are inherent danger to take lesser position, it will minimize your value in the eyes of employers as well mitigate your ability to negotiate higher salary later on. I have learned my lessons doing that. A lot of explanations and they always doubt the motivation for lesser position regardless of realities. So, unless the position supplement your current skillsets, you will not be better off.

Rutgers is a pathway to break into industry, it will also explain any work history gaps or salary questions. If you can afford it, that may be something to be considered. Keep in mind of potential saturation as we observe more interests are moving toward that direction.
 
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That is not how it works. If you die, all your assets are first used to pay off all debts, then anything left over goes to your family.


Really? I don’t think that’s true at all. I doubt my student loan servicer could have gone after my checking account balance if I up and died before I paid off my loan. Isn’t that the point of an unsecured loan?


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That is not how it works. If you die, all your assets are first used to pay off all debts, then anything left over goes to your family.

If they are federal student loans, the debt is forgiven in the event that you die. Your assets do not have to go into paying that federal debt.
 
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I know 3 unemployed pharmacists in New Jersey. Me and two others. All of us were previously employed by the same company. I used to make $50/hr. The other two made less than me. I've had four jobs in the $48-$50 range. Right now, I would work for free for up to eight months, just so that I could represent myself as being currently employed, keep my skills fresh, and avoid a big resume gap until the day when/if I am employed again. I'm going to keep looking for a pharmacist job until the new grads hit the market in May 2019. After that, I pull the plug on pharmacy.

Now that three months have gone by, I can update my post. Of these 3 unemployed pharmacists, one got a job within a month, another got a job in three months, and the third is still looking (it's been more than six months).

I applied to 25 jobs in six different states. I received nine responses (telephone prescreens). I had six interviews (I didn't pursue 3 of the prescreens). I received 2 job offers. I feel I got one job offer entirely on my own merit (relevant successful work experience, superior to other candidates). The other job offer was also due to merit, but I think the fact that the hiring manager was friends with a former manager of mine was decisive.

Prior to getting these offers, things were feeling bleak. I was actively researching local low-paying jobs such as food service, lab tech, banking, pizza delivery, Uber. I was planning a budget based off a $15/hr wage, since that seemed to be in my future. Even if I did find a pharmacist job, I was expecting and prepared to accept $35/hr. The job I accepted is paying $57/hr with benefits, which is my highest-paying job so far. I have typically made $48-$50/hr. If I can keep this job 3+ years, I'll come out ahead financially. Other stats: I've been practicing for about 9 years, have multiple licenses, am board certified, and don't work retail (it's a small branch of pharmacy, not mentioned too often). Since the new job is far from my home in central New Jersey, I am forced to relocate. To be clear, I have no desire to move to this particular place; I am moving solely because I could not find a job anywhere else.

I'm happy to have a job and nice paycheck today, but this is not what I signed up for 15 years ago. What would I have done differently? Either "computers" or electrician/carpenter. Much like other pharmacists on this board, I feel a sense of dread: my days are numbered and I'm just trying to save all the money I can and hang in there as long as possible.

tl;dr: Unemployed pharmacist, found a job, took 3 months, pays $57/hr, but not where I wanted.
 
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Now that three months have gone by, I can update my post. Of these 3 unemployed pharmacists, one got a job within a month, another got a job in three months, and the third is still looking (it's been more than six months).

I applied to 25 jobs in six different states. I received nine responses (telephone prescreens). I had six interviews (I didn't pursue 3 of the prescreens). I received 2 job offers. I feel I got one job offer entirely on my own merit (relevant successful work experience, superior to other candidates). The other job offer was also due to merit, but I think the fact that the hiring manager was friends with a former manager of mine was decisive.

Prior to getting these offers, things were feeling bleak. I was actively researching local low-paying jobs such as food service, lab tech, banking, pizza delivery, Uber. I was planning a budget based off a $15/hr wage, since that seemed to be in my future. Even if I did find a pharmacist job, I was expecting and prepared to accept $35/hr. The job I accepted is paying $57/hr with benefits, which is my highest-paying job so far. I have typically made $48-$50/hr. If I can keep this job 3+ years, I'll come out ahead financially. Other stats: I've been practicing for about 9 years, have multiple licenses, am board certified, and don't work retail (it's a small branch of pharmacy, not mentioned too often). Since the new job is far from my home in central New Jersey, I am forced to relocate. To be clear, I have no desire to move to this particular place; I am moving solely because I could not find a job anywhere else.

I'm happy to have a job and nice paycheck today, but this is not what I signed up for 15 years ago. What would I have done differently? Either "computers" or electrician/carpenter. Much like other pharmacists on this board, I feel a sense of dread: my days are numbered and I'm just trying to save all the money I can and hang in there as long as possible.

tl;dr: Unemployed pharmacist, found a job, took 3 months, pays $57/hr, but not where I wanted.
Grats for securing employment. Now, let the new grads hunt for scraps.
 
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Now that three months have gone by, I can update my post. Of these 3 unemployed pharmacists, one got a job within a month, another got a job in three months, and the third is still looking (it's been more than six months).

I applied to 25 jobs in six different states. I received nine responses (telephone prescreens). I had six interviews (I didn't pursue 3 of the prescreens). I received 2 job offers. I feel I got one job offer entirely on my own merit (relevant successful work experience, superior to other candidates). The other job offer was also due to merit, but I think the fact that the hiring manager was friends with a former manager of mine was decisive.

Prior to getting these offers, things were feeling bleak. I was actively researching local low-paying jobs such as food service, lab tech, banking, pizza delivery, Uber. I was planning a budget based off a $15/hr wage, since that seemed to be in my future. Even if I did find a pharmacist job, I was expecting and prepared to accept $35/hr. The job I accepted is paying $57/hr with benefits, which is my highest-paying job so far. I have typically made $48-$50/hr. If I can keep this job 3+ years, I'll come out ahead financially. Other stats: I've been practicing for about 9 years, have multiple licenses, am board certified, and don't work retail (it's a small branch of pharmacy, not mentioned too often). Since the new job is far from my home in central New Jersey, I am forced to relocate. To be clear, I have no desire to move to this particular place; I am moving solely because I could not find a job anywhere else.

I'm happy to have a job and nice paycheck today, but this is not what I signed up for 15 years ago. What would I have done differently? Either "computers" or electrician/carpenter. Much like other pharmacists on this board, I feel a sense of dread: my days are numbered and I'm just trying to save all the money I can and hang in there as long as possible.

tl;dr: Unemployed pharmacist, found a job, took 3 months, pays $57/hr, but not where I wanted.
Congrats on securing the last pharmacist job on the planet.
 
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Really? I don’t think that’s true at all. I doubt my student loan servicer could have gone after my checking account balance if I up and died before I paid off my loan. Isn’t that the point of an unsecured loan?


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I agree you won't owe any principal on the loan if you die. However, you may have a "tax bomb" or significant tax burden for that year in which the IRS may be able to come after your remaining assets under the pretense of income tax liability for the tax year that you died in. Someone with more knowledge on the matter will have to chime in.
 
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Now that three months have gone by, I can update my post. Of these 3 unemployed pharmacists, one got a job within a month, another got a job in three months, and the third is still looking (it's been more than six months).

I applied to 25 jobs in six different states. I received nine responses (telephone prescreens). I had six interviews (I didn't pursue 3 of the prescreens). I received 2 job offers. I feel I got one job offer entirely on my own merit (relevant successful work experience, superior to other candidates). The other job offer was also due to merit, but I think the fact that the hiring manager was friends with a former manager of mine was decisive.

Prior to getting these offers, things were feeling bleak. I was actively researching local low-paying jobs such as food service, lab tech, banking, pizza delivery, Uber. I was planning a budget based off a $15/hr wage, since that seemed to be in my future. Even if I did find a pharmacist job, I was expecting and prepared to accept $35/hr. The job I accepted is paying $57/hr with benefits, which is my highest-paying job so far. I have typically made $48-$50/hr. If I can keep this job 3+ years, I'll come out ahead financially. Other stats: I've been practicing for about 9 years, have multiple licenses, am board certified, and don't work retail (it's a small branch of pharmacy, not mentioned too often). Since the new job is far from my home in central New Jersey, I am forced to relocate. To be clear, I have no desire to move to this particular place; I am moving solely because I could not find a job anywhere else.

I'm happy to have a job and nice paycheck today, but this is not what I signed up for 15 years ago. What would I have done differently? Either "computers" or electrician/carpenter. Much like other pharmacists on this board, I feel a sense of dread: my days are numbered and I'm just trying to save all the money I can and hang in there as long as possible.

tl;dr: Unemployed pharmacist, found a job, took 3 months, pays $57/hr, but not where I wanted.

Congrats on finding a job. I have a friend whos been looking for 2 months after being laid off with me. We were working for a pharmacy where the owner who isnt a pharmacist, just a greedy businessman, that laid off 15 people due to his dispute with his partner. Long story short, the douche bag gathered everyone as if he was about to have a meeting but instead fired everyone on the spot. I was fortunate enough to find another job at an indie but others are still struggling to find anything. Im just thankful i get to work again. Pharmacy really needs to change in order to have a good future... we are heading straight towards the iceberg.
 
I know 3 unemployed pharmacists in New Jersey. Me and two others. All of us were previously employed by the same company. I used to make $50/hr. The other two made less than me. I've had four jobs in the $48-$50 range. Right now, I would work for free for up to eight months, just so that I could represent myself as being currently employed, keep my skills fresh, and avoid a big resume gap until the day when/if I am employed again. I'm going to keep looking for a pharmacist job until the new grads hit the market in May 2019. After that, I pull the plug on pharmacy.

It takes awhile for new grads to get licensed so you may as well continue applying through out the summer.
 
I really know none. In fact, I know several that have moved states and found jobs easily.



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Were the jobs in undesirable locations?
 
If you have $200k+ loan then it wouldn't make sense to go on the 10 year plan. The 10% for 25 years may be a better option being that you would end up paying less than what you may actually owe. Yes, even with tax on interest after loans are forgiven.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but PAYE is 20 years and REPAYE is 25 years I believe for grad loans.
 
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Congrats on finding a job. I have a friend whos been looking for 2 months after being laid off with me. We were working for a pharmacy where the owner who isnt a pharmacist, just a greedy businessman, that laid off 15 people due to his dispute with his partner. Long story short, the douche bag gathered everyone as if he was about to have a meeting but instead fired everyone on the spot. I was fortunate enough to find another job at an indie but others are still struggling to find anything. Im just thankful i get to work again. Pharmacy really needs to change in order to have a good future... we are heading straight towards the iceberg.

Ummm that's how the world works. Every viable business is run like a business, if they are not profiting then they cut out the overhead (aka pharmacists). Sounds like a standard layoff, go into a meeting room with no notice then get escorted out the door. Doesn't matter if it's for a pharmacy or engineering firm or tech company.
 
If you have $200k+ loan then it wouldn't make sense to go on the 10 year plan. The 10% for 25 years may be a better option being that you would end up paying less than what you may actually owe. Yes, even with tax on interest after loans are forgiven.

What do you mean tax on "interest"?
I thought it'd be tax on "the whole amount forgiven" though.
 
What do you mean tax on "interest"?
I thought it'd be tax on "the whole amount forgiven" though.

Ive heard two different stories. Apparently, they dont know since they cant predict what could happen in 20 years. There is talk of taxing just the interest.
 
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Bernie Sanders just released a plan to forgive all student loan debt.
 
The unemployment numbers are low, yet definitely exist, a few months after graduation but underemployment is significant. The following is absolutely anecdotal but based on my pharmacy graduating class from a well-regarded and established pharmacy school with deep alumni networks. About 20% were not working as a pharmacist or for a healthcare company in a professional capacity after six months (1/3 of the class were still doing residencies) and there are still a half-dozen not "gainfully employed" (a couple have done residencies) a few years later. Even the valedictorian didn't have a job for a while (how did they not match? I don't know) but there can be a stigma attached to being too book-smart.

I don't know how many hours people work on average but many are part-time at two places. I did not receive one of those employment surveys from my school until I had informed them I commissioned into the military. Funny how suddenly they wanted to make sure prospective students knew "all the settings alumni work in."

There have been layoffs and some older pharmacists are at networking meetings which suggests some people become unemployed as well. I don't know how long those people go between jobs but that is tough on families.
 
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Does Walmart pay more than Walgreens and CVS? That's the rumor I'm hearing nowadays.
 
Does Walmart pay more than Walgreens and CVS? That's the rumor I'm hearing nowadays.
My classmates who got walmart offers get paid 2-5 dollars more than I do, even though many of them a few months after I did. Walgreens' starting salary for new grad significantly dropped since last fall. Depending on when one gets licensed this year, even some of my classmates who got hired together had different rates due to being licensed a couple months later than I did. Not sure about cvs. From where I've heard from new grads, HEB pays most. Techs are also jumping ships there.
 
Does Walmart pay more than Walgreens and CVS? That's the rumor I'm hearing nowadays.
It doesn’t matter if they pay more than Walgreens or CVS today because that will be short lived. Expect wage cuts every 1-2 years for pharmacists going forward. CVS, WAG, WM and independents will keep slashing salaries due to the saturation that is getting exponentially worse and each time say that it is “to align with current market demands/conditions.” A true race to the bottom of the barrel.
 
Wow. $52 an hour. This is a disaster. Consider your responsibilities and the conditions under which you’re expected to maintain perfection.

I graduated in 1982. We all worked our butts off, but at least we enjoyed decent pay and job security. Those days are long gone.

So now in retail we see our hours cut with more tasks piled on, all under management that makes sure you are aware that you are completely disposable (which is true). Oh, and don’t forget about that extra year of school! Retailers are hot to hire new grads mostly because they will work for less and will accept weaker benefits, if they get any benefits at all.

Here’s a tip: neither the NABP or APhA is your friend.

Never did I imagine I’d spend so much of my work life staring at a computer screen and having my every move timed down to the second. I’m done in one year. You can have my stinkin’ job.
This is happening everywhere, medicine included.
 
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