Working full time + prereqs?

[Dav]

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For those of you that have worked full time and taken prereq classes - how do you do it? I'm working 40 hours on a regular schedule, and there are not night classes at the "real" university or the community college nearby. That means convincing my boss to adjust my work schedule pretty dramatically. I'd probably be starting at 6 most days, and finishing at 5 others - in a setting where most people work 7:45-4:30. Suggestions on how to convince my supervisor this is a good idea? Suggestions for remaining sane/solvent? I've got a bs, but only "chemistry for engineers" and physics (and a few humanities) that count as reqs - thus I've got pretty much the full gamut of prereqs to do - a solid 3 years if I take classes every term, and probably closer to 5 for the schools that require a bit more in the way of prereqs.


Help!

 

[eddie269]

Part time student. I didn't work 40 hrs/wk but was constantly at 32+ hrs/wk and I was lucky enough to have my local JC offer a Thursday night class (7-10PM) and labs Sat morning (9am-3pm). This was physiology btw and I know anatomy had a similar schedule depending on the semester.

My lab partners worked a regular 9am-6pm job Mon-Fri and both got A's. Of course I thought the class was a joke compared to my old university but that's a different story all together. But 1-2 classes at a time will get you there.

But I guess it's about whether you can (mentally and financially) truly dedicate yourself to a new career which requires so much effort. My old asst mgr at the bank told me when I quit "Man, I wish I could go back to school. But I got bills, mortages, etc and can't afford to leave this job anymore."

When I left to go back to school, I moved back with my parents and got a flexible job paying $9/hr (from $19/hr at the bank). I know not everyone can be so fortunate but where there's a will, there's a way. Many parents, older students on this forum have done it.

 

[sakigt]

The best I can say is try and get a job where the work isnt concentrated during the 9-5 hours.

It really sucks that there are not science courses at night like there are business classes. I got spoiled.

I cant wait to tell my boss Im going to have to take off Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Fall due to my freaky Organic Chem schedule. 👎

Not to mention Im broke as a joke....

 

[FixLittlePeople]

Your best bet might be look for a more flexible job. i work in research where I have an understanding with my boss that I will have varrying school schedules. this allows me to work the 40 hrs and take 12 credit hours a semester. research oppurtunities are available at your local university just have to look and sometimes get lucky 😛

 

[pharmagrl]

Check out UND (Uni. North Dakota) for online classes. I am not sure about the science w/ lab courses but they offer most courses online. I am working full time and taking online classes. The best part is that at UND you have a year to complete your course and you can do it at your own pace. Hope this helps

 

[drugs]

I worked 40hrs a week and attended evening classes 5 days a week.Sometimes I even had to work during the weekends. But my classes were from 6 to 9/9:30. I could pull it off and was pretty rough. I used to catch up during lunch time, at nights and during weekends.
I was drained .

It all worked out well at the end. BUT this changed my personality completely. Before this,, I never used to shut my mouth and most of the time have good relations with family and friends. With all the work, and taking classes (pre-req) made me to keep away from attending parties or go out with friends or spend time with family. THAT TIME MY ONLY GOAL was to get an admission and thought about carrier.


I got used to that working, running around and keeping busy life style all the time and Now I hardly talk . I made my self isolated. Now I have to find words to start a conversation! have smile on my face all the time but am in my own world. Thats not acceptable in the crowd........I know that too....but once gone is gone.......


Now what do I do.....just read read read....(Not only pharmacy related but every book I come across)

Will I do that again...working 40 hrs and evening class all week long...MAY BE NOT.
But is it WORTH IT? 100% I LOVE DRUGS, SCIENCE......


If you had to work 40 hrs lessen your course load to 2-3 per semester.
If you are in a hurry to got to school work part time and satisfy all pre reqs, and got to school.

 

[ForcedEntry]

It is very doable as long as you have a good boss.

Mine is from Colombia. He knows the value of working your way up from nothing to accomplish a dream. He simply made me agree to get my work done, regardless of the hours...and I had to work at least 40hrs as to not get in trouble with HR. A few times I was short hours and he fudged my timecard to pay me for hours not worked. Boss man even paid for the schooling. I was reimbursed 80% for my entire AA degree, including books. He knows I am leaving, but he also considers his generosity as a down payment on my loyalty...and yeah...he has it. I owe him the world.

 

[Bhavesh]

The way I did it was:
-I knew that I would be taking classes before I got my job
-I picked one that was relatively low-stress
-The hours are 2nd shift (3:00pm-11:30pm).
-I took 3 classes/semester
-two of the classes and labs were throughout the week in the morning (anywhere between 10AM and 2:45PM)
-one of the classes was on saturday

recommendations for you?
-take saturday classes
-try to flex (if you can) your work hours for day classes...ie. if your lecture is only tue/thu from 5-8, then see if you work early just for those two days
-talk to your boss...explain your situation, most employers are pretty understanding...but be careful because some employers don't like hearing that you'll be leaving
-find another job if you really, really want to gain that flexibility
-keep looking around for colleges that have night classes (ie. state college, community college)
-don't take any more classes than you need to that might sacrifice your grades...but at the same time (if grades are an issue), taking 1/class per semester doesn't show proficiency with a full course load.

 

[Bhavesh]

It all worked out well at the end. BUT this changed my personality completely. Before this,, I never used to shut my mouth and most of the time have good relations with family and friends. With all the work, and taking classes (pre-req) made me to keep away from attending parties or go out with friends or spend time with family. THAT TIME MY ONLY GOAL was to get an admission and thought about carrier.

+1

working full time while taking full time classes can mean being more tired at work, being more closed off from friends/colleagues at work (that are usually too involved in their own lives to realize that you're just tired/stressed), and being more snappy

you maybe fine for the first week, month, or two months, but taking full time classes with full time work will eventually take its toll....

 

[Farmercyst]

For those of you that have worked full time and taken prereq classes - how do you do it? I'm working 40 hours on a regular schedule, and there are not night classes at the "real" university or the community college nearby. That means convincing my boss to adjust my work schedule pretty dramatically. I'd probably be starting at 6 most days, and finishing at 5 others - in a setting where most people work 7:45-4:30. Suggestions on how to convince my supervisor this is a good idea? Suggestions for remaining sane/solvent? I've got a bs, but only "chemistry for engineers" and physics (and a few humanities) that count as reqs - thus I've got pretty much the full gamut of prereqs to do - a solid 3 years if I take classes every term, and probably closer to 5 for the schools that require a bit more in the way of prereqs.


Help!

My schedule is not nearly the same as yours and you may not be able to do all/any of these, but in the event somebody actually uses search, I'll post some of the things I've done where I work. I've worked for the same place 30+hrs/week since 1999 40+/week since 2003 (except during paternity leave as noted below)

1. Where I work has volunteer Saturday schedules which allows me to work a Saturday and take off a day during the week as replacement. For PChem I had class from 2:00-4:50pm and my work schedule was 3:00-11:00. I would work, what they listed as, 2 (4)-hour schedules and take off the first 4 hours of my shift on Tuesday and Thursday. This only worked for the week I had Saturday's off (every other Saturday). The other week, I had them shift my Friday day off to either Tuesday or Thursday. Essentially I only missed 1 lab every other week. I got a C+ in PChem that quarter.

2. Have a baby.😱 Ok so it's not that simple, but still. My wife and I were planning on having kids, and knew it allowed me (in California) 12+ weeks of Paternity leave (of which 6 were paid, I love California sometimes). We timed the pregnancy so that my daughter was born close to the beginning of the quarter (I swear it was a joint decision) I took the first 6 weeks off which allowed me to spend time at home and school without worrying about work. The rest of the quarter I was able to work half days (and they legally couldn't do anything about it) so that I could attend class. I did that for PChem Fall 04, and for Microbiology (Sp 07, 2nd child). Both of which would have otherwise been right in the middle of my shift. Now I'm not saying if you're not planning on having kids that this should be employed. But if you want to have kids anyway, and the timing works for you, it's an option.

3. Request a job transfer within the company. Where I work shifts are availale 6am-12am, closed Sun. However there's another call center open 24/7, if I needed graveyard I could get it. If I couldn't get in there, the mail payments processing center has a graveyard shift as well for just a slight decrease in pay.

Anyway, I suppose the point is, be creative in your thinking and keep your options open. These may not work for you, but something else may.

 

[terse]

My schedule is not nearly the same as yours and you may not be able to do all/any of these, but in the event somebody actually uses search, I'll post some of the things I've done where I work. I've worked for the same place 30+hrs/week since 1999 40+/week since 2003 (except during paternity leave as noted below)

1. Where I work has volunteer Saturday schedules which allows me to work a Saturday and take off a day during the week as replacement. For PChem I had class from 2:00-4:50pm and my work schedule was 3:00-11:00. I would work, what they listed as, 2 (4)-hour schedules and take off the first 4 hours of my shift on Tuesday and Thursday. This only worked for the week I had Saturday's off (every other Saturday). The other week, I had them shift my Friday day off to either Tuesday or Thursday. Essentially I only missed 1 lab every other week. I got a C+ in PChem that quarter.

2. Have a baby.😱 Ok so it's not that simple, but still. My wife and I were planning on having kids, and knew it allowed me (in California) 12+ weeks of Paternity leave (of which 6 were paid, I love California sometimes). We timed the pregnancy so that my daughter was born close to the beginning of the quarter (I swear it was a joint decision) I took the first 6 weeks off which allowed me to spend time at home and school without worrying about work. The rest of the quarter I was able to work half days (and they legally couldn't do anything about it) so that I could attend class. I did that for PChem Fall 04, and for Microbiology (Sp 07, 2nd child). Both of which would have otherwise been right in the middle of my shift. Now I'm not saying if you're not planning on having kids that this should be employed. But if you want to have kids anyway, and the timing works for you, it's an option.

3. Request a job transfer within the company. Where I work shifts are availale 6am-12am, closed Sun. However there's another call center open 24/7, if I needed graveyard I could get it. If I couldn't get in there, the mail payments processing center has a graveyard shift as well for just a slight decrease in pay.

Anyway, I suppose the point is, be creative in your thinking and keep your options open. These may not work for you, but something else may.

great advice. i've been trying to find a place that offers graveyard shifts so that i could work nights, and go to school during the days.

where is this place? could you PM a link to their HR job openings

 

[Dav]

It is very doable as long as you have a good boss.

I'm hoping that will save me. My boss is needy, but he's science academia. I don't expect to be reimbursed, but at this point, the flexibility would be enough. As I said, I can work the 40 hours (although probably with only one class). As an undergrad, I often took 18-23 hour loads to save money and time. Hopefully, my decent GPA from that will help with "full load" worries - even if it's not natural science classes. I hope.

 

[Bhavesh]

I'm hoping that will save me. My boss is needy, but he's science academia. I don't expect to be reimbursed, but at this point, the flexibility would be enough. As I said, I can work the 40 hours (although probably with only one class). As an undergrad, I often took 18-23 hour loads to save money and time. Hopefully, my decent GPA from that will help with "full load" worries - even if it's not natural science classes. I hope.

the other consideration is to quit and get loans

educational loans are generally available to everyone so you don't need to work while studying...you only need to work while studying if you want to maintain a certain lifestyle that's not covered by the loans...

 

[sakigt]

+1

working full time while taking full time classes can mean being more tired at work, being more closed off from friends/colleagues at work (that are usually too involved in their own lives to realize that you're just tired/stressed), and being more snappy

you maybe fine for the first week, month, or two months, but taking full time classes with full time work will eventually take its toll....

+2

Ive been working FT and taking at least 8 credit hours (usually FT) classes for 6 years. Ive become a bit of an anti-social person and a bit mouthy with people I know really well. If you can keep this problem out of your professional life, youll be fine.

Im looking forward to the day when I can divert the attention given to school to other parts of my life. Hard work now = Big payoff later 👍

 

[ViolinChick]

Hello Ladies and Gentleman,

I'm very new to this forum. Like many of you, I'm very anticipating to get into Pharmacy school. I've been reading many of the posts. They are awesome and informative. I'm glad I found this site.

I would rather take a full-time load (12-14 credits) at school, and work part-time at a retail pharmacy to get the experience. The more you learn about pharmacy at least you'll have a general picture of how pharmacy behind the counter operates.

 

[binghamkid]

Hello Ladies and Gentleman,

I'm very new to this forum. Like many of you, I'm very anticipating to get into Pharmacy school. I've been reading many of the posts. They are awesome and informative. I'm glad I found this site.

I would rather take a full-time load (12-14 credits) at school, and work part-time at a retail pharmacy to get the experience. The more you learn about pharmacy at least you'll have a general picture of how pharmacy behind the counter operates.

You can also explore other aspects of pharmacy practices as well, including hospital pharmacies, home care, research, industry work, public health and social work. =) Don't limit yourself just to the retail pharmacy picture, because not everyone is a proper fit for retail ( I know I'm not for sure.)

 

[overhillpharmer]

I would try to find a night job. Night jobs are easy to find. Hopefully you can find one that pays equal to what you get paid now or at least makes ends meet. Any JC worth its salt will offer day classes covering most of the prereqs you might need for pharmacy school. I have worked full-time through most of my science and math prereqs. Of course I am now 38, but I did get into school this year. I have a family and could not afford to give up my full-time job while going to school. Now I have the security of attending a professional school that nearly quarantees enough student loan funding to just get by and I can start school without working at all until I figure out what part-time work I can handle, hopefully as a pharm. intern.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

I did 32 hours/week when I was a prepharmer way back when in Twenty-aught-three....and I'm an idiot. If I can handle, a person that is actually smart, organized, and mature could surely do it.

 

[Pharm47]

I worked full time as a business consultant from 7:30-4:30 M-F. I had a mortgage to pay as well as education debt for both myself and my spouse, so working part-time was not an option. That and my boss was NOT supportive of me taking classes, as he knew it would leading to a different career, so I had to hide the fact that I was taking night classes for two years. Luckily, I was able to take Physics at a local CC at nights for a full year, then take A&P at a local University nights/weekends the following year. During that time I also volunteered in the ER one night a week the first year and at an inpatient hospital pharmacy one night a week the following year. To me, our situations sound similar. My only suggestion is to look around for evening class opportunities. Most CC's have night and weekend classes, and even some Universities, especially those with strong post-baccalaureate programs/populations. Good luck!

 

[CaliCPhT]

I'm currently taking online classes through Weber State University. www.weber.edu They have a FANTASTIC online program with some excellent professors. Some of your chemistry classes with labs, unfortunately, you will have to take them at a physical campus with labs. All of the classes I'm taking through Weber have exams online (you have to have them proctored), and you get your score immediately, with an ability to review what you missed right then.

BUT - Weber offers quite a few online courses, and have an excellent Health Sciences program. Check it out!!!

I'm working 40 hours a week and taking 3 classes. I am a very busy chickie!!! I kind of wish that I'd eased myself back into school first, before taking 3 classes. Oh well, it's almost halfway over now... but the busiest is yet to come.