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In most areas of the country, isn't a PhD required for Pharmacology? That is an excellent field of study and again, you can work anywhere, a hospital, a pharmacy, a grocery store pharmacy, a vet, a compounding pharmacy, etc.
I don't know. My daughter attended the University of Wyoming. I do recall that she considered continuing for a PhD but decided against it.
I do know UW pharm grads are highly recruited. I was told by a recruiter for a national drug chain that they are better prepared to step into a position and do their job than grads from "most any" other schools.
My daughter had several good offers in the $75-$80,000 range before graduation in (I think) '97. She accepted a position with a national drug chain and was promoted quickly. She's been a district manager for the same chain for 5-6 years now, overseeing 20 or 30 stores.
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Originally Posted by JimmyGen
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Originally Posted by WyoNewk Now that I'm in my 60s, I kick myself for not sticking with it. I'd encourage you to go for what you want, even if it takes an extra year.
I am curious about this statement. Is it because it's something you really wanted to accomplish, like on your bucket list for example, or is it because you could still be working in that field well into retirement?
It's because I could have had a good job for the last 15 years. I changed careers in my mid-30s, basically retiring. I made a lot of money in my first career, mainly in the last 10 years of it, but I got burned out. I was so successful, in fact, that I figured I could make a lot of money doing anything. I was mistaken.
I don't know. My daughter attended the University of Wyoming. I do recall that she considered continuing for a PhD but decided against it.
My daughter had several good offers in the $75-$80,000 range before graduation in (I think) '97.
That is why she needed only a Bachelors in Pharmacy. I had friends that graduated in 96 and they only needed the Bachelors but they knew that the program was going to transition to a PharmD in the coming years. I think it became required in the early 2000s.
The son of some friends our ours is in the pharmacy program at Purdue University. The program he is in will give him whatever it is he needs to be a pharmacist in 5 years.
Another idea:
Major in any biological science or health care-related field (bio, pre-med, health, allied health), and apply during the beginning of your 4th year for occupational therapy school.
You can either go for a Masters or Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (a masters is all that is needed to become a certified OT, with the certification test), and the program is 2-3 years long.
The field is wide ranging, with work in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, private practice, and home health care. It in great demand and salaries are very attractive (from $50-high 60 K after a couple years of practice).
the only draw back to the masters program for Occupational and Speech Therapy is that most of them are highly competitive and only accept a low number of students. That sucks!
Old College Student, may I ask what state you live in? ASHA certifies speech-language pathologists, but licensing is done on a state level and each state has different requirements. For example, some states will allow you to work in the school systems with a bachelor's degree while obtaining your master's. Some will allow you to work as a speech-language pathology assistant in a variety of settings. It is a great field, has touched my life also. In fact, I am in my 30s and embarking on a second career which happens to be the one I chose when I was 10 after my father had his second stroke. It was my initial major in college and I've had to retake some courses but I'm getting it done and I love it.
I have done a lot of research and I'm doing a program in communicative disorders as we speak, so I'd be glad to help you with any questions you might have.
Also - I know you said that you were looking for something you could do with a bachelor's degree, but the occupational therapy assistant field is also a great medical industry in high demand in various settings that would allow you to make a change in people's lives. DO you have a particular age group or population that you would like to work with?
I haven't visited this post for a while. I am going to pursue SLP afterall. I do have a few pesky pre-reqs that I need to finish - including the foreign language requirement now. But I should be done and able to pursue my masters full time starting in the spring. I am in Florida and a masters is required.
Both my brother and I saw speech therapists when we were children. My father suffered a stroke and despite months of rehabilitation, I was the only one ever able to get him to speak again. I figure this is something I could do full time, part time, in a rehab facility, a hospital, or hang out my own shingle. It's something that has always been in the back of my mind. I enjoy working with people in these settings.
I always hated IT but it afforded me a nice lifestyle and I was able to put my son through college debt free. I also figure that with the population aging and this field I could work pretty much anywhere, big city, small town, etc.
Old College Student...I am in the exact position you are in. I am 40 years and have been in IT for 19 years now and hate it. I am so looking forward to leaving IT. I can not picture myself coding at 60 years old or laid off and trying to compete for a job in this field in the future with the youngens graduating from college , H1B visa works willing to work for half my salary or offshore programmers. So far I have been fortunate to never be laid and found decent positions that pay well. Therein lies the problem. It pays well enough to make you question leaving the field. Any entry level new degree will not pay you near as much unless you go for something highly specialized like Pharmacy or Physician Assistant..etc. And by the time you get the prerequisites, it will probably take longer than SLP. I have researched them all. I have finally settled on Speech Therapy as you mentioned. I started classes this summer at Utah State which has awesome online program. I found that a degree in Speech and Communications Disorders is one of the most flexible degrees as far as actually earning your credentials because you can earn the bachelors completely online at quite a few reputable colleges and there are many great programs that will allow you to earn the Masters online except for the clinical part. This will allow you to continue paying the bills with IT but give you something positive to focus on. I will be 45 -46 when I finish, but so what...I will be anyway in 5 - 6 years. And I still anticipate working 20 - 25 years more. You still have half of your working years left. So go for what you really want to do. I think a career as an SLP allows you so much flexibility in the type of population you want to work and it pays fairly well. Not as much as IT, but I am over that. I will use the next few years while in school to pay off debt, save and them be able to live comfortably on the SLP salary. So if you want to go for it, plan to start classes this fall and never look back.
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