Greetings Bella_Aria:
So your son is thinking of becoming a drug dealer, huh? ;) All
kidding aside, I believe that pharmacy *is* a good career. There are
stresses to the job and working in a retail atmosphere can be boring
to some but it is a career that pays well and has many benefits.
My oldest friend is a pharmacist and I often hear the pros and cons
from her. Your son has also witnessed first-hand what the job entails
so he's seen "the pharmacist in action." However, there are positive
aspects to the job.
Many retail businesses (grocery chains, discount stores, drug stores)
offer pharmacists a 30-hour minimum work week with full benefits and
*very* flexible schedules. Most also offer time and a half overtime
which can add up very nicely. My friend makes about $75,000 a year.
She travels often and wants for little. She also breeds cats and
she's able to adjust her schedule to cat shows and vacations. When
she wants to earn more, she works more.
Were your son to get his degree, he'd probably be earning a nice wage
by the time he was 30. He could put money in retirement and, if he
planned his finances well, he could retire by the time he was 50.
That's a interesting thing for him to consider. Also, he could
probably pay off any student loans very quickly.
As evidenced in another question I answered about pharmacists
(http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=91383):
"Regarding salaries, the site Allied Physicians
(http://www.allied-physicians.com/salary_surveys/pharmacy-salaries.htm)
reports salaries as follows (the first figue in each is Average base
and the second is Average Starting Base):
Total (National Avg.)
$68,000
$59,000
Chains
$66,500
$57,000
Independents
$58,000
$49,000
Supermarkets
$66,000
$57,000
Merchandisers
$67,000
$58,000
HMOs
$73,000
$61,000
Hospitals
$65,000
$49,500
There is a regional breakdown posted in the same article and they also
report:
"Salaries are most dependent on location, job description, training,
and experience of each pharmacist. Studies show the need for
pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will continue to raise for a
minimum of 5 years.
"Studies indicate that hospital, independent, and chain store
employment growth will occur slowly. However, admissions and
graduates in pharmacy have been decreasing over recent years. It
appears that long-term, ambulatory, and home care settings will show
the greatest employment growth. New opportunities are also arising in
managed care organizations and, for those employed in research,
disease management."
***********
Also, being a retail pharmacist is a great customer service
occupation. Your son wouldn't necessarily be bored if he decided to
get to know his customers and make them the primary focus of his job.
My friend enjoys the interaction with customers and she says that's
what makes her job so interesting.
She does, however, bemoan the fact that being a pharmacist is more
like being an insurance claims adjustor than anything. She doesn't
enjoy that part of it. She sometimes gets weary just counting pills,
too. But overall, she is happy she chose the career because her
earnings have enabled her to travel and have her cat breeding business
on the side with no financial hardships.
Your son has probably seen the worst and the best of everyday life at
a pharmacy and there are other fields he could choose with a pharmacy
degree. Hospitals have pharmacists that don't interact with the
general public, just with the hospital staff. If your son prefers a
quieter job, he could take a position in a hospital. My friend says
that headhunters call her all the time recruiting for hospitals. She
says they offer excellent pay and benefits but she prefers working
with the public.
*************
So there's boredom and stress on one hand and great wage, benefits and
flexibility on the other, at least with retail pharmacy. Working in a
hospital, there's a quieter workplace (and the insurance work is done
by another office) or your son could become a research pharmacist.
There are also positions at assisted living centers, nursing homes,
HMOs, aboard cruise ships, I'd wager, and it may be a career he can
take abroad although there may be requalifying tests for other
countries.
I suggest he talk to many pharmacists and ask them for the pros and
cons of their occupation. Only he will be able to make the final
decision and I believe the more educated he becomes from the personal
experiences of actual pharmacists, the better a decision he will make
for himself. Pharmacy is a solid career and from the many ads I see
in newspapers (and from what my friend tells me), it's an occupation
very much in demand.
Should you require clarification of any of the information I have
provided, please request it and I will be happy to respond.
SEARCH STRATEGY:
pharmacist salary
research pharmacist |
Clarification of Answer by
journalist-ga
on
28 Apr 2003 06:38 PDT
Greetings again Bella_Aria:
My colleague, Googlenut, alerted me that my question link above should
have read(http://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=91383).
I apologize for the problem but a bit of punctuation crept into the
URL.
Regarding the question "Should a person pursue a career
path and be encumbered by student loans if they don't feel strongly
about it?" - I am able to answer only from my personal perspective.
No time is ever wasted learning. At least, not in my book. :) I
would urge your son to continue learning, no matter what occupation he
finally chooses. As I mentioned above, there are some great aspects
to being a pharmacist but only your son should make the decision for
investing his time and money in a future career.
You and I know that at 25 years of age, almost every possibility in
the world is open to a child and we both also understand the value of
a solid education and career. Getting a degree BEFORE marrying and
raising a family is imperative because if he dallies about too long,
he may find himself with other obligations and not be able to attend
college except on a part-time basis (which can cause unneeded
financial hardships). So, to spend a long time studying about an
occupation he feels lukewarm about will require serious thought and
investigation for him.
If he enjoys being around pharmacists, he could choose another field
such as pharmaceutical sales or he could even go further afield and
look into being an anesthetist or anesthesiologist. These occupations
are in much demand, too. Some information on an anesthetist career is
located at http://www.aana.com/crna/become.asp and FAQs about the
career possibilities in the profession are found at
http://www.aana.com/crna/careerqna.asp .
He might choose to make a list of pros and cons on paper - this always
works for me to hone a decision about anything. Get a blank piece of
paper and draw a line down the center. On one side, list all the
positive aspects of a career. On the other side, list the negatives
or doubts he has about it. I know this sounds simple (and it is) but
it serves as an excellent way to focus one's thoughts. When he can
see the results staring him in the face, he may be able to focus more
clearly on his true desires.
Also ask him: If you could do anything for the rest of your life, what
would that be? What would make you happy and fulfilled? If he
answers regarding a different field (say music, for instance) then
look at careers in music that could earn him a stable income:
recording engineer, working for a record cmapny as an artist
representative, etc.
Regarding the other question, "Should they just 'do it' and hope that
it eventually leads them to a rewarding path?" - again, every
individual must answer this for themselves.
When I was younger and declared I wanted to pursue the Arts, my
parents both suggested I first finish college so I would have
"something to fall back on" should I not be able to earn a wage in the
creative world. I didn't get a degree and there have been many times
during the course of my life that I wish I had that piece of paper
(and the job/wage that follows a degree) yet I must state that I am
happy with my life as a writer. I'm not successful by many
definitions and I love what I do, regardless of the tenative wage. I
have few vacations (haven't been on one in over 7 years) but I love
what I do, regardless of everything else. Pursuing what I want to
pursue, regardless of salary, makes me the happiest.
Ultimately, your son's future happiness and personal sense of
accomplishment are the most important factors to consider. He is
standing at an exciting crossroads in his life and he is learning that
he is the captain of his own ship. Where he steers the vessel, that's
up to him. :)
Again, I urge him to examine pharmacy closely and I also hope he knows
he is fortunate to have such a supportive mother. Your love for him
shows clearly and I believe he is wise to seek your counsel.
Should you require further clarification of any of the information I
have provided, please request it and I will be happy to respond.
ADDITIONAL SEARCH:
anesthetist
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