I think there’s been some comments here on CC that I’ve seen suggesting otherwise. Can’t remember where or I’d link them. I think minimizing cost and keeping flexibility for a major change is wise (unless OP truly won’t miss the money).
ETA: found a couple of those comments. Don’t want to discourage OP, just want them to have info.
RE: pharmacy
If you /your parents are leaning toward pharmacy because you think it is a well-paying, highly in-demand job, you/they may want to rethink that perception.
The NIH reports:
The annual number of Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) graduates is projected to exceed the number of annual pharmacist job openings over the next 10 years. Loss of retail sector jobs will be partially offset by projected gains in several other sectors; however, oversupply will persist until the number of graduates is more reflective of job market capacity.
Since 2000, there has been a 74% increase in the number of pharmacy schools (from 82 in 2000 to 143 in 20183) and an 81% increase in total enrollment (from 34,481 in 2000 to 62,504 in 2018). And new pharm schools are continuing to open. Nine new schools have opened since 2018.
The BLS says…
Projected demand for pharmacists has finally hit zero overall net growth according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ employment projections for pharmacist…
Check your state and area where you hope to work first, before you consider this field.
Our middle daughter started pursuing a career in pharmacy. She did the undergrad to med school route because a majority of pharmD programs are combined within medical schools.
There is no funding, so you will be paying medical school prices. Can you afford $260k to $300K for a professional program of 4-6 years? Most of my daughter’s classmates were on med school loans.
It is a tough program and the return on your investment of time and money may not be what you expect. There are a slew of pharmacists looking for positions. Most of those positions are retail and many are part-time (4-6 hour shifts/ every other day including weekends). Our daughter chose to segue into medical research for new drugs with big Pharma companies.
Our elder daughter’s friend was fortunate that she was able to secure a full-time position at a hospital, with great benefits (10 years ago), but had to move to the dese…
3 Likes