Wasted a decade ? 40 too old to start over?

[Rxcoffee]

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After BS Pharmacy and masters in management , I worked in industry for 2 years and then switched to retail.
10 years into retail , I recently lost my job, now working perdiem.This extra time gave me opportunity look around and within. I can’t justify why I left industry and have a strong desire to go back. But the resume is tossed right at the first sight of retail (atleast that’s how I feel) !!

Now am overwhelmed by the thought “I wasted a decade of my life in retail”!!
Suddenly am in crisis .. depressed .. where did a decade flew by????? What was I doing ?? Why didn’t I pursue Pharm D?
There is so much out there .. had I just taken the retail blinders off!! Every passing day makes me more miserable !!!

Also I turned 40 recently!! Is it too late to start over considering my age ??

Or would entry level jobs be a bad idea .. if miraculously I do get an opportunity to get into industry?

Starting post bacc pharm d this fall.. really can’t stop beating myself for not doing it earlier!

Sorry for this long rambling rant!! Could totally use some encouragement !!

Thanks so much!

 

[Stella14]

Can any of the per diem companies get you a short term opportunity in industry , even if you have to travel for 12 weeks etc?
Can they take a look at your resume and give you ideas on how to make it look the best?
Start networking with people on Linked In where you’d like to work or maybe they can give you insight on how to get yourself an interview.

I don’t really think the Pharm D issue is that huge, it’s explaining why you left industry and for so long.

Heck , hit up that kid Alex Barker , The Happy Pharm D and see if he has any insights.

Just some thoughts...

 

[Modest_anteater]

After BS and masters in management , I worked in industry for 2 years and then switched to retail.

10 years into retail , I recently lost my job, now working perdiem.

This extra time gave me opportunity look around and within. I can’t justify why I left industry and have a strong desire to go back. But the resume is tossed right at the first sight of retail (atleast that’s how I feel) !!

Now am overwhelmed by the thought “I wasted a decade of my life in retail”!!
Suddenly am in crisis .. depressed .. where did a decade flew by????? What was I doing ?? Why didn’t I pursue Pharm D?
There is so much out there .. had I just taken the retail blinders off!!

Every passing day makes me more miserable !!!

Also I turned 40 recently!!

Is it too late to start over considering my age ??
Or would entry level jobs be a bad idea .. if miraculously I do get an opportunity to get into industry?

Starting post bacc pharm d this fall.. really can’t stop beating myself for not doing it earlier!

Sorry for this long rambling rant!!

Could totally use some encouragement !!

Thanks so much!

Time flies my friend. Some day everyone you know will die. All you can do is try to make the good times last. The older you get the faster the time seems to go, at least for me. Often times I forget what year it is. Still feels like 2012. Hard to keep pace with the young kids, with so much energy. With my current health issues I know I won't live forever. Just try to respect yourself, respect other people and live life the way you want to live. It's important to live your life with respect and dignity before it is completed. It's embarrassing to live a life of fear and doubt. For me my main issue is finding my future wife but i have to come to terms that desire is the root of all pain. Hopefully you are not a single male as well so at least you can take confirm in knowing that your love life has gone well.

It's never too late to be what you might have been. If you want to go to pharmacy do a three year degree. I would not advise pharmacy at this point though, the market is only beginning to deteriorate and with 15,000 new grads a year and only 1,500 new jobs a year being created the math is going to lead to many broken dreams and mental health problems. By 2025 things will be terrible for pharmacists with tens of thousands of unemployed and underemployed pharmacists. But it's still possible to see beauty in less than ideal situations via re-framing and re prioritizing. One man's trash is the next man's treasure, one man's pain is the next man's pleasure, same building different views, same path different shoes.

Good luck and remember to starting living the way that makes you happy today as today doesn't promise tomorrow. Good luck my friend.

 

[Stella14]

Confused. Do you have BS in pharmacy and masters in management?

If not ,please do not start pharmacy school from scratch. Transition into another type of management position.

 

[Rxcoffee]

Confused. Do you have BS in pharmacy and masters in management?

If not ,please do not start pharmacy school from scratch. Transition into another type of management position.

I am BS Pharmacy..sorry wasn’t clear in my post. Just edited it.

Been a pharmacist for over 10 years. Planning to do post bacc pharmd.. it’s 2 years online for working pharmacists with BS.

 

[Rxcoffee]

Can any of the per diem companies get you a short term opportunity in industry , even if you have to travel for 12 weeks etc?
Can they take a look at your resume and give you ideas on how to make it look the best?
Start networking with people on Linked In where you’d like to work or maybe they can give you insight on how to get yourself an interview.

I don’t really think the Pharm D issue is that huge, it’s explaining why you left industry and for so long.

Heck , hit up that kid Alex Barker , The Happy Pharm D and see if he has any insights.

Just some thoughts...

Thanks for some great ideas! Will reach out to the blogger you mentioned.
PharmD seems to be the industry standard now.. all jobs need a Pharmd and/or residency or board certifications.

 

[Rxcoffee]

Time flies my friend. Some day everyone you know will die. All you can do is try to make the good times last. The older you get the faster the time seems to go, at least for me. Often times I forget what year it is. Still feels like 2012. Hard to keep pace with the young kids, with so much energy. With my current health issues I know I won't live forever. Just try to respect yourself, respect other people and live life the way you want to live. It's important to live your life with respect and dignity before it is completed. It's embarrassing to live a life of fear and doubt. For me my main issue is finding my future wife but i have to come to terms that desire is the root of all pain. Hopefully you are not a single male as well so at least you can take confirm in knowing that your love life has gone well.

It's never too late to be what you might have been. If you want to go to pharmacy do a three year degree. I would not advise pharmacy at this point though, the market is only beginning to deteriorate and with 15,000 new grads a year and only 1,500 new jobs a year being created the math is going to lead to many broken dreams and mental health problems. By 2025 things will be terrible for pharmacists with tens of thousands of unemployed and underemployed pharmacists. But it's still possible to see beauty in less than ideal situations via re-framing and re prioritizing. One man's trash is the next man's treasure, one man's pain is the next man's pleasure, same building different views, same path different shoes.

Good luck and remember to starting living the way that makes you happy today as today doesn't promise tomorrow. Good luck my friend.

View attachment 255794

Thanks for a these pearls of wisdom!
I am saddened by your health condition. Have followed your posts for a while. Wish you a long and happy life!!
Really appreciate your advice!

 

[lord999]

After BS Pharmacy and masters in management , I worked in industry for 2 years and then switched to retail.
10 years into retail , I recently lost my job, now working perdiem.This extra time gave me opportunity look around and within. I can’t justify why I left industry and have a strong desire to go back. But the resume is tossed right at the first sight of retail (atleast that’s how I feel) !!

Now am overwhelmed by the thought “I wasted a decade of my life in retail”!!
Suddenly am in crisis .. depressed .. where did a decade flew by????? What was I doing ?? Why didn’t I pursue Pharm D?
There is so much out there .. had I just taken the retail blinders off!! Every passing day makes me more miserable !!!

Also I turned 40 recently!! Is it too late to start over considering my age ??

Or would entry level jobs be a bad idea .. if miraculously I do get an opportunity to get into industry?

Starting post bacc pharm d this fall.. really can’t stop beating myself for not doing it earlier!

Sorry for this long rambling rant!! Could totally use some encouragement !!

Thanks so much!

It is never too late to change careers. When I was in school, I saw remnants of the 90s tech boom as my classmates. Watching them go through, I never forgot that any industry that had a boom has a bust. A bunch of those 90's IT workers and physical therapists became pharmacists now to enter this era, and what do they get for their trouble?

What I also urge you to do is stop "chasing the dragon." Find an occupation that you are ok working in despite the pay circumstances. Most people won't work in pharmacy if it weren't for the pay. I honestly wouldn't be depressed if I got sentenced back to being an ambulatory pharmacist, even marginal work is ok enough for me as the money concerns are no longer there. It's very unlikely though, because knowing how retail works out, I knew better than to think I could beat the odds working 20 years before either district management found a reason to fire me (grey hair is as good as any). But if you keep chasing the "in" degree: data science, medicine, or nurse practitioner without intending to enjoy working as one, well, it's going to be a lot of sacrifice for very little to show for it when the dragon chases something else.

If you think your retail is what's holding you back from rejoining industry, I would argue that you never understood industry well enough to begin with. In both retail and industry, you were made very aware of how this career turns out if you graduated in the era where the BS was still the standard. The 90s computerization showed everyone how retail ends for most pharmacists who were caught out of the trend, and the mergers and acquisitions of the major companies displaced most of the older personnel who were not already in upper management. Yeah, you get old timers in the business, but for most, they burned out or were forced out in favor of young and dumb new grads. Despite seeing this happen to others, for you to not know yourself well enough to have followed the easy path with its predictable consequences is something that you need to think about hard when selecting your next career. If you change for panicking reasons without self-reflection, you should expect your next career to be like this one without respite. Like your ill-considered move to retail, no career will work out for you until you understand what realistic conditions you want to work in and are attractive to employers as an employee.

 

[Timbo]

After BS Pharmacy and masters in management , I worked in industry for 2 years and then switched to retail.
10 years into retail , I recently lost my job, now working perdiem.This extra time gave me opportunity look around and within. I can’t justify why I left industry and have a strong desire to go back. But the resume is tossed right at the first sight of retail (atleast that’s how I feel) !!

Now am overwhelmed by the thought “I wasted a decade of my life in retail”!!
Suddenly am in crisis .. depressed .. where did a decade flew by????? What was I doing ?? Why didn’t I pursue Pharm D?
There is so much out there .. had I just taken the retail blinders off!! Every passing day makes me more miserable !!!

Also I turned 40 recently!! Is it too late to start over considering my age ??

Or would entry level jobs be a bad idea .. if miraculously I do get an opportunity to get into industry?

Starting post bacc pharm d this fall.. really can’t stop beating myself for not doing it earlier!

Sorry for this long rambling rant!! Could totally use some encouragement !!

Thanks so much!

Why did you lose your job?

 

[Xenophylia]

I don't consider all my years in retail as "wasted". "Soul crushing?" Maybe. But had to make a living doing something and for that it served its purpose...

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Wasted a decade ?

Yes

40 too old to start over?

Yes

 

[Rxcoffee]

Yes

Yes

Thanks! that helps!!

On a side note - don’t be compelled to reply on posts if you can’t contribute more than you just did!

 

[BC_89]

Thanks! that helps!!

On a side note - don’t be compelled to reply on posts if you can’t contribute more than you just did!

look at their username. It typically gives them away 😉

 

[BC_89]

I don't consider all my years in retail as "wasted"....had to make a living doing something and for that it served its purpose...

My favorite quote thus far.

To the OP, I’m not in my 40’s (just starting my 30’s) but I can relate in experiencing drastic last second job changes. I mean shoot, after my bachelors (while working as a tech) I joined the military not entirely sure what to do with my life. Was in infantry, repelling out of helicopters to switching back over to working in a pharmacy with a uniform on.

Did field training, got hurt, and military pushed me out. For awhile I thought wth? Now what...

Was my time in an air assault unit wasted? Well, I gotta paycheck and fed my kids so as xenophylia stated: “it served its purpose.” Your not to old to switch things around. I think you got a lot going for you than you realize. Make a plan and go for it. I’m working on my second career, maybe even a third later in life if my hobbies can become my job.

 

[Rxcoffee]

My favorite quote thus far.

To the OP, I’m not in my 40’s (just starting my 30’s) but I can relate in experiencing drastic last second job changes. I mean shoot, after my bachelors (while working as a tech) I joined the military not entirely sure what to do with my life. Was in infantry, repelling out of helicopters to switching back over to working in a pharmacy with a uniform on.

Did field training, got hurt, and military pushed me out. For awhile I thought wth? Now what...

Was my time in an air assault unit wasted? Well, I gotta paycheck and fed my kids so as xenophylia stated: “it served its purpose.” Your not to old to switch things around. I think you got a lot going for you than you realize. Make a plan and go for it. I’m working on my second career, maybe even a third later in life if my hobbies can become my job.

So uplifting!! Thanks !! Could use every bit of optimism!
There’s is a lot going on, can’t put everything out here...
So thankyou again!

 

[JustFillIt]

I just want to say I’m almost 40 and I feel like I’m 22 years old. I crush retail stacks of Rx and watch/laugh when the new grads hide in the bathroom and cry.

Your 40 years old? The fun has just started bro! Get on a statin and a beta blocker and let the good times roll baby!

As far as the beta blocker goes definitely go bystolic. Less erectile dysfunction that way

 

[Stella14]

I have successfully reinvented myself several times , so I haven’t needed his services yet.

He has a lot of contacts and maybe he might have a different set of eyes that recruiters or career coaches do since he is a pharmacist . It was just a thought.

Also, why shouldn’t he get paid if he provides a service in a niche market?
It’s only going to get more popular.

I just had a friend get laid off and also know a resident who has been working registry for a year and still has not found a full time job in the Chicago market .

There are other pharmacists on linked in who revise resumes and provide career counseling as well.

I thought he might have a retail viewpoint.

If anyone has used him, I’d like to know if they got anything out of it.

 

[Mr. Corporate Pharmacist]

2 years ago, I interviewed with Sanofi for a drug rep position with only 3 years of retail experience.

I networked a lot and crushed the interview.

They were going to offer me 90k plus commission. I have a PharmD/MBA, but that's not what got me the job.

If you want to go back into industry, only thing stopping you is yourself. You can do anything.

 

[JustFillIt]

2 years ago, I interviewed with Sanofi for a drug rep position with only 3 years of retail experience.

I networked a lot and crushed the interview.

They were going to offer me 90k plus commission. I have a PharmD/MBA, but that's not what got me the job.

If you want to go back into industry, only thing stopping you is yourself. You can do anything.

I love reading this guys posts - this man is a rockstar

 

[Pharmacy is a Scam]

Have you actually talked to that Alex guy? Seems like a money grab from ppl in retail who want out. I can't imagine it is useful.

Alex Barker is academia 2.0 and a professional con artist, a clever opportunist whose sole purpose in life is to sell a lie. In his particular case, the lie he’s selling is that “anyone can get out of retail” which is just flat out not true.

I equate him to the dudes who promote their weight loss programs as “the only one on the market scientifically proven to get you results fast”— they talk the talk to entice you and reel you in. He will use anecdotal evidence such as “there was this one client I helped who couldn’t find a job for the last 10 years but followed my 3-step approach to getting a job and voila” to make it more real. He will use psychology to get you to be in a more open state of mind, one such example being to keep EVERYTHING positive at all times (because positive reinforcement works) so as to not discourage you at any point in the product selection and checkout process. [Notice that there is not a single happy pharmacist in the world, yet his nickname is “The Happy PharmD”, probably because he’s laughing all the way to the bank with your money] And by the time you figure out that you got swindled, he’s already long gone with your money. That’s how he gets you.

By the way, I can say the same thing too for Rx Ashlee. With the full force of saturation hitting this year, expect a secondary market of these career coaches/hustlers to spring up. After all, who do you prey on once the pre-pharms figure it out and stop going to pharmacy school/donate $200k loans to schools? That’s right, you prey on unemployed, underemployed or retail pharmacists.

 

[CetiAlphaFive]

One of these days I'm going to quit and enroll in the CIA up in New York.

 

[johnpharm01]

After BS Pharmacy and masters in management , I worked in industry for 2 years and then switched to retail.
10 years into retail , I recently lost my job, now working perdiem.This extra time gave me opportunity look around and within. I can’t justify why I left industry and have a strong desire to go back. But the resume is tossed right at the first sight of retail (atleast that’s how I feel) !!

Now am overwhelmed by the thought “I wasted a decade of my life in retail”!!
Suddenly am in crisis .. depressed .. where did a decade flew by????? What was I doing ?? Why didn’t I pursue Pharm D?
There is so much out there .. had I just taken the retail blinders off!! Every passing day makes me more miserable !!!

Also I turned 40 recently!! Is it too late to start over considering my age ??

Or would entry level jobs be a bad idea .. if miraculously I do get an opportunity to get into industry?

Starting post bacc pharm d this fall.. really can’t stop beating myself for not doing it earlier!

Sorry for this long rambling rant!! Could totally use some encouragement !!

Thanks so much!

Yes you wasted a decade and 40 is way too old, but if you wait till you are 50 you can restart. That is because 50 is the new 30, but 40 is still 40.

In all seriousness, retail is the worst of pharmacy. It used to be the source of easy $, but not anymore. But it came at a price: loss of professionalism, loss of knowledge, interest and motivation in the field.

I would NOT do a pharmd program. The whole pharmacy market is shot and completing this program won't improve your employment odds. I would just start a hard search and find a job in pharmacy. The one thing that employers value that retail pharmacists have as a job skill is work ethic. Retail pharmacists overwork themselves and employers find this valuable. And, if you were fired, its no secret whats going on in corporate pharmacy so depending on the circumstances it may not be a barrier to future employment.

 

[Lnsean]

do what you like dude. if you like industry then go out there and get it. 10 years from now you can either be where you want to be or back on here moping about it. like the other poster said, everyone's gonna die anyways, go after what you want.

 

[Splenda88]

PA degree... Only 2 yrs. 90k-150k/yr... Same salary potential as pharmacist

 

[waiter]

How did you lose your job in retail?

 

[Rxcoffee]

How did you lose your job in retail?

Not sure why would this be of particular interest to you .. but sure if that helps ..the owner finally decided to close the shop after years of consistent losses.
It’s hard these days for independents with PBMs sucking out every single penny. The margins are dwindling and independents are struggling for survival.

 

[beautifulrobot]

In general, the best way to get a new job is to tap into your network. Any way you can get in touch with folks you went to pharmacy school with and see what they're up to? Get back in touch with the folks you worked with in industry before you switched to retail? It might seem awkward and even embarrassing, but I think most decent folk will be empathetic and see if they can help you out with finding a new job. I wouldn't recommend getting a PharmD unless it's the only effective way you can rebuild your professional network or you have a specific job in mind in which a PharmD is a hard requirement.

 

[beautifulrobot]

Also, it might be worth looking into whatever employment services your local government provides: career fairs, cover letter and resume workshops, and so forth. Or if you still live near your alma mater, they may have some career services you can utilize as an alum. Most universities offer free professional writing services to students and alumni that can be really helpful in getting a strong cover letter and resume together. I'm assuming if it's been ten years since you've applied to a job, it might be a good idea to get some extra help with how to market yourself.

 

[Dred Pirate]

I was recently offered an MSL interview with a small pharma company - I have zero industy experience, job wasn't for me, so withdrew before I would have been offered or declined - I am sure you would have been infinitely more qualified than myself - you are not gonna likey get a job with a big company - but I think if you look around you could start small and then go big