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I would also say that for any career you can name, with the exception of MD, you can find similar material online about how the job prospects suck and you're going to die homeless and alone if you go into it. And even for MD, people will tell you not to into it, because de-privatization will drive down your salary and your monstrous medical school loans will make it not worth.
I also know this because I've at one time or another researched the job prospects of every single job out there.
Here's an idea. Do something you're interested in doing...
If you've worked behind the counter of a retail pharmacy for 10 years and you still want to be a pharmacist, then I wouldn't discourage anybody from doing it, no matter how bad the job prospects are.
I have a niece who worked as a pharmacy tech while going to pharm school. She likes being a pharmacist much better, she says.
I don't see how the two are related. Automation is one reason why there will be less of a need for in store pharmacists, plus more and more people are using mail pharmacy's. For my family we get 90% of our prescriptions filled by Express Scripts. (We get a 90 supply for the price of a 30 day supply in a walk in pharmacy).
On the other hand, the latest figures available on pharmacy employment project a six percent increase in the number of pharmacy jobs from 2016 to 2026. That is about average among all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
I have been following this for a few years since my daughter, currently an undergrad, was looking at Pharmacy as her career, but after looking into the projected future, she is now leaning towards dental school.
There is still a demand for retail pharmacies. My old job ended the contract with Express Scripts because they got way too many complaints and we all hated it because it would take three weeks to deliver a medication, autodeliveries would come too early (which was not the best for items with really short shelf lives), they’d have a “shortage” and you’d have to get another doctor’s visit to get the rest of your 90-day supply, they’d misdeliver to an old address because each prescription had to be updated separately in their system, and the list goes on... Everyone was really relieved to go back to a regular pharmacy and have the 90-day option instead of the month option.
I’m afraid to show her the website as it is depressing reading...heck I was depressed and I’m not in that field. I’ve been an eye witness to the incredible amount of hard work she’s put in; wife and mother of two young children, school is 90 minute commute each way plus she works her tech job when she can. I would hate to discourage her now but on the flip side maybe she should be aware of what could possibly be waiting for her when she graduates??? Really torn about that one.
I'm assuming she has one year left of pharmacy school? Why discourage her now? Just what would you suggest she do as an alternative that wouldn't involve more time, money, and effort? She's close to completing the education for her profession, why suggest she just throw it all away and embark on something else?
Besides, you can find such articles about just about any profession! There's always the naysayers, regardless of what one tries to do. I got so sick of people chasing after me with newspaper clippings about whatever I was trying to do with my life, oh, here, look, your chosen path is no good Oh, sure, thanks for the heads up, tomorrow I will choose another career path!
Besides, remember, every field is cyclical, up today and down tomorrow. No one path is a perfect way to a solid career. At least with her education she is qualified for a lucrative profession. The opportunities will fluctuate, but she is qualified for something, as opposed to constantly re-inventing herself.
I remember back when I wanted to be a teacher. I had people literally scream at me---they're laying them off! They're laying teachers off! Yes, well, that was true, but the profession of teaching would always be there. Its not like they were just going to simply close up schools and that was it. By the time I would have graduated teachers were again in demand and I could have caught that wave
There's ups and downs to any profession. You don't simply walk away when 3/4 there because of an article on FB, online, newspapers, etc.
the job market certainly has changed, there is no doubt about it.
i think all of the big three are cutting hours in addition to grocery store chains. they also keep cutting tech hours and overlap hours seem to be a thing of the past. add to that the huge number of schools that have opened in the past ten years or so that are churning out grads in higher numbers than needed and the outlook is not all that rosy. starting wages are also starting to creep down, i've seen some cite as low as $50/hr in NYC.
working in a hospital has become pretty competitive and is almost to the point that a residency is required, which is yet another year of education albeit with a stipend (maybe around 42K/yr or so?)
as mentioned there are pharma jobs (hard to get), long term care, nuclear pharmacy (few jobs overall), informatics (few jobs overall), managed care (working for PBMs, probably need a residency/hard to get).
whoever suggested "the cynical pharmacist" is a disgruntled employee has no idea what is going on in the profession.
from the folks on pharmacy reddit it seems jobs can be found but sometimes you have to be willing to move to where the jobs are or keep plugging away if you want to stay where you are.
not sure if she's in a 2+4 program of a 0+6 or an accelerated program but either way, there is probably a significant financial commitment already made. i'd suggest she stick it out and keep an ear to the ground regarding the job market.
i'd suggest she makes sure she puts her best foot forward for her IPPE and APPE rotations, she might be able to use those connections fi she makes a positive impression with preceptors.
one more edit: as others have stated, i'd really not say anything unless she asks. she probably is more aware of the situation than you think and certainly has a better read than someone not in the profession.
Thanks for your input, I'm glad you seem to appreciate the dilemma here. I'm not going to say anything to her about it. At this point she is more than half way done and she took out significant loans to pay for it. She does have a masters in public health but quite frankly it appears to be of little value if you don't already have relevant work experience in the field you are trying to get into. It's almost the MBA of the science world.
it's just such a shock that what was once considered one of the safest jobs in this crazy corporate world we now live in is seemingly headed downhill. I'm just hoping that everything works out for the best. She along with her husband and kids have made a lot of sacrifices to get her to this point. They really are just hanging on with help from me and others. The dream of her making it has been what has sustained them to this point. it would be horrible if it doesn't pan out with a great job at the end.
Unless she has asked for advice, it's not really your place to tell her to drop out of school.
And I'm not going to. This was just research I honestly stumbled into. From the outside looking in, I naively thought Pharmacy was all roses. This was really alarming to see. I just hope for her sake that it all works out.
I'm assuming she has one year left of pharmacy school? Why discourage her now? c.
Because of jealousy, perhaps?
Otherwise, I can't imagine why someone would be so heavily invested in someone else's career choice, exception might be if that's the person's adult child. Which isn't the case here.
I would also say that for any career you can name, with the exception of MD, you can find similar material online about how the job prospects suck and you're going to die homeless and alone if you go into it. And even for MD, people will tell you not to into it, because de-privatization will drive down your salary and your monstrous medical school loans will make it not worth.
I also know this because I've at one time or another researched the job prospects of every single job out there.
Here's an idea. Do something you're interested in doing...
Oh she loves pharmacy. She's been a tech since she was a teenager over a decade now. It took her several tries to get into pharmacy school and she's been busting her tail, doing well in class ever since. So I can assure you, she's definitely doing it for the love. I guess it's just sad that yet another once solid occupation appears to be going down the drain slowly. Is nothing safe anymore?
my pharmacy friend seems to be doing ok working in a hospital ; i am certain he makes more than 125K/year
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Oh, sure, thanks for the heads up, tomorrow I will choose another career path!
